Harder Times
by A Derpy King Boo
Summary: When life mocks you, the only way out is suicide. However, death isn't the end of us. It is the beginning in an entirely brand new world. An exhilarating rewrite, loaded with added details from the original, Hard Times. Rated M for some graphics and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Harder Times**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Life. Are we living it? Or is it living us?

Are there simplistic ways to life? Or do we have to live through all the heartaches?

It seems as if life is nothing but disappointment and depression; constant pain and no gain.

Life has been rough as of late. It's as if I have to go through all the hardships and heartaches at such a young age, for no reason whatsoever. At the age of seventeen, I was diagnosed with Stage Four Hodgkin's Lymphoma, leaving me with a slim chance of life. At age eighteen, I lost my father to cancer – a seven year battle he endured. At age twenty-one, my sister had committed suicide since her boyfriend left her after a five year relationship ended abruptly. When I was twenty-two, I lost my favorite cousin to cancer. Oddly enough, we were both diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the same time, February of 2012, with the same stage, Stage 4. He lost his battle while I continue to struggle with mine.

On my twenty-fourth birthday, my grandmother, aunt, and mother had all died in a car crash caused by a drunk driver, something that should have never happened. Period. When I turned twenty-six, my two remaining close cousins also suffered the same fate as my mother did...

By my twenty-seventh birthday, I was the last of my immediate family from my mother's side. I never knew the members of my father's side of the family so I refrained from engaging any sort of conversation or contact with them. I was all alone – cancer patient, no job, no family...

No life...

Don't get me wrong, I'm open to independence. It's just that...what I'm trying to...

How do I put it?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like being alone, but at the same time, I hate being alone...if that makes any sense...

At this day in age, I'm surprised I haven't gone completely insane or lost my mind or even committed suicide. Don't get me wrong, I have thought about it – suicide, that is – but I can't imagine the afterlife. What's it like? Where do you go? What happens to your dead corpse? Who knows? Is death painful? Or is suffering from a broken bone more painful than death?

In my bedroom, inside a nightstand drawer, there is a handgun – a pistol, if you will. Next to the pistol are two bullets, one for self defense, and one for the end. The pistol used to belong to my father when he was enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He gave it to me, as per his request in his will, and I've kept it in my nightstand drawer, which also used to be his. In case I forgot to mention this, I've lived in this house all my life, watching many events unfold before my very eyes – September 11th, the war in Iraq, Barack Obama becoming the first African American president, witnessing three family members, myself included, get diagnosed with cancer – and they've all taken their toll on me and my life in some sort of way.

I approached the nightstand in my poorly lit room, light only coming in from the full moon that was embracing the land in a dim white light. I opened up the drawer and saw the moonlight reflect off the sleek, chrome pistol. It had been kept very clean, having it's own rag, located right next to the bullets that were in the drawer. I had grabbed the rag, then embraced the rag around the pistol, bringing it closer to me. I admired the sleek design of the pistol, running my fingers over the barrel of the pistol and down the side of it and over the trigger, which I accidentally pulled, but was fine since the pistol was empty of ammunition.

"Oh, how I wish you were still here..." I sadly spoke, referring to my father obviously, the previous owner of this beautiful pistol.

I call her beautiful because she means a lot to me and she meant a lot to my father. I remember when I was younger, probably around sixteen-years-old, I saw a story on the news that both me and my father scoffed at. The topic – ironic enough – was about weaponry and it's effects in public areas.

"'They say that people don't kill people, but that guns kill people.'" My father recited to me.

"Isn't that true though, dad?" I asked. Back when I was sixteen, I never really thought about that statement.

"If that's true, son," my father continued, "then I guess knives stab people and planes crash into buildings. It's always the objects' fault; never the person holding or controlling the object."

My father was a wise man, really making you think with his statements. I remember holding on to those words and putting them in the back of my head, where I wouldn't ever forget them, foolish as it sounds.

I looked down at the sleek beauty, grabbed a bullet, then took the pistol outside where I could get a better look at it under the moonlight. I gazed up at the bright full moon and admired its beauty. The moon was awe inspiring, hypnotic even. The moon is only like this twice a year, on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, and the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Tonight was the winter solstice and, up in the north, it was unseasonably warm. I never minded the warm weather, but it seemed as if this year, mother nature decided to skip the pleasant autumn and go straight from summer to winter. Tonight was an unusual sixty-eight degrees, with little wind movement.

I took in some of the crisp cool air of the night and closed my eyes. I began to think about my dead relatives, how they were doing up in heaven and how the time flew by without them to share a few laughs with along the way. I don't think I mentioned this, but I am an atheist. I choose not to believe in God, but I do choose to believe in heaven and hell, as odd as it sounds. However, that's besides the point.

I began gripping the pistol a bit tighter as tears began falling from the corners of my eyes, down the side of my face and, ultimately, down to the ground. I missed my family very much, there was no doubt about that. I'd kill to see them again, I really would. Looking back up at the sky, I closed my eyes tightly so that the tears could stop escaping and sighed slowly.

"Wait for me, everyone..." I said.

I motioned the arm holding the pistol up to my head, with the barrel of the pistol touching the side of my head. It was cold and unforgiving, almost as if it didn't want me to proceed with what I was about to do. I didn't want to do it, but I also didn't want to live like this anymore. So, with one last, painful sigh, I opened my eyes, looked up at the moon and pulled the trigger. I heard the gunshot and felt the bullet tear through my skull and brain, going in one side and coming out of the other. My vision had become disoriented and time appeared to slow down tremendously. The last thing I remember while on earth was my body collapsing onto the cold, wet ground.

Suicide was the answer, I guess.

* * *

I saw my dead corpse collapsed on the ground. My left hand still maintained a grip on the beautiful pistol that was forced to perform a horrific act of vigilance. My right arm was bent in the most unusual of ways, one that appeared as if it would hurt a living person. A lot, might I add.

I don't understand this; why am I still here? What's the purpose of making me stare at my dead body? What's the purpose with me still being here exactly?

I started sobbing over the choice I had just performed, though no tears fell from my eyes. I guess when you die, there is nothing there to create tears anymore. So the best alternative is to sob. I require no air anymore; no breathing, no life, and no death, apparently. In my ghostly state, I had flown over to my dead body and I tried my best to fuse with it once more, though I couldn't perform said action successfully.

My heart sank when the reality of the matter set in that I am now dead.

Suddenly, I was being dragged away by an unknown force into the sky and away from my dead body. I struggled mightily to strive back towards my body, but found myself only being pulled away faster, farther, and higher. As I was pulled behind the clouds, I gave up trying to return to my body and instead, started to admire some beautiful, swirling colors that appeared in front of me, reminding me of a kaleidoscope. The colors were pretty, taking my mind off of my suicide for a brief moment.

This spectacular light show lasted only for a split second, then everything faded to black. I was all alone in this dark universe, scared for my afterlife now. I had no idea what was going on or what to expect.

My mind was once again taken off of my fears as the surrounding area had become brightly colorful. The surrounding area was brightly colored, giving off such a warm, compassionate, and friendly feeling. Nearby were some apple trees and a calm, steadily flowing stream. In the far off distance was a large red barn and in the line of vision, near the horizon line, was a town attached to the side of a steep mountain.

"What is this place?" I quietly asked myself, "It's so colorful and warm!"

I began walking over towards the stream to quench my thirst, which randomly hit me as did these colors, but found myself falling face first into the ground. I looked down at my feet and, instead, saw four emerald colored hooves. I was both stunned and amazed at this one little detailing I spotted. I was stunned because I had hooves now, but I was amazed because emerald green was one of my favorite colors and the fact that I had hooves now.

"What happened?" I muttered, "Where am I?"

I looked around frantically and began to panic. I didn't know where I was, how I got here, or even why I was here. All I knew was that I __was__here, whether I wanted to be or not.

I stood back up on my four legs now, which seemed really weird, honestly. Walking on four legs was like the equivalent of crawling back in the human world. It wasn't natural, but I guess after a while, one could get used to this style of "walking."

After getting used to my new style of walking, I had begun approaching the red barn I saw from earlier. I figured that I should attempt to make a connection with someone, even if it meant that my life would be put in danger. Let's be honest, when you come from where I'm from, the last thing you'd want to do is make connections with a complete stranger. However, since I was raised in this environment, I could easily defend myself, should the situation get out of hand – err, out of hoof, I mean.

I continued my pursuits towards the barn and found myself quickly approaching it. It seemed as if time moved a lot quicker here in this world than back on earth. I wonder if that will be a good thing or a bad thing. Frankly, I'm wondering if I'm still alive or not.

As I approached the barn further, I noticed that there was a red colored stallion, an orange mare, a yellow filly, and a bright green mare. The bright green mare appeared older than anyone else there, but still appeared to be working just as hard as the other three were. I approached the side of the barn, near the entrance, but did not enter onto the property. I watched as the four of them did their hard farm work. Over time, the little yellow filly noticed me and called out to the orange mare.

"Applejack..." the filly called out, her voice somewhat hinting towards fear.

"What is it, Apple Bloom?" The orange mare, Applejack, called back, turning around to face her, noticing me in the process.

The filly, Apple Bloom, pointed one of her little yellow hooves at me as Applejack started approaching me. Applejack had a bright orange coat with a yellow mane and tail, some very nice green eyes, a brown cowboy hat, and three apples on her flank. I wasn't quite sure of what the three apples symbolized or why only Applejack had it and the red stallion had a green apple, the green mare had a pie, and Apple Bloom didn't have one, but I had to put that aside for now.

"What can I do ya for, partner?" Applejack cheerfully asked me.

Honestly, I was very nervous. Not because I was scared of Applejack, but because I wasn't quite sure of how this situation would handle itself. After some eerie silence, I finally spoke up and answered Applejack, not truthfully, but still answered her.

"Umm...I'm new in town and wanted to know if you could help me find my way around, if that's alright."

"Why, of course it is." smiled Applejack. "Ah'll be more than happy to show ya aroun' town, uhh...Ah di'n't catch yer name before..."

"I'm Robert." I calmly answer back before Applejack started showing me around town.

"Ah'll be back later, y'all!" Applejack called to the other three creatures before walking alongside me.

There were some awkward moments in my life, but none of them could come close to how awkward I felt at this very moment. I mean, I'm not the best when it comes to socializing, and when I'm with a girl – a girl of any kind, let me say – let's just say that I'm not myself, no extensions. Finally, I decided to speak up and break the deafening silence.

"Do you mind if I ask who those other three umm...creatures were?" I oddly asked.

"The big red fella is my older brother, Big Macintosh." Applejack answered. "The older green mare is Granny Smith and the lil yella filly is my sister, Apple Bloom."

"Oh..." I replied, not knowing what I should say, "and what's with the three apples on your back end?"

"That's my cutie mark," responded Applejack, "symbolizin' that my destiny is to help out on the farm."

"Do you mind me asking, why is yours different from the other three?"

"A cutie mark __is__ different for everypony." exclaimed Applejack.

I peered my head towards my back end, noticing that my "cutie mark" was an electric guitar on fire. I had stopped moving and began admiring it.

"Lemme ask you this, Rob," Applejack started after she noticed I had stopped moving, "do y'all play an instrument?"

"Yeah," I rapidly answered, causing Applejack to chuckle a bit, "I played an electric guitar back home,"

"An 'electric' guitar?" questioned Applejack.

"Yeah," I replied, "it's the equivalent of a regular guitar, but it provides more of a definite sound and requires an amp to hear said sound."

"An amp?"

"Yeah," I continued, "it's like a really, really big speaker."

"How long have y'all been playin' this electric guitar?" Applejack curiously asked.

"About nine or ten years now." I answered.

"Nine or ten years?" Applejack repeated. "Hope y'all are okay with me askin', but how old are ya?"

"I don't mind at all," I replied, "and I'm twenty-seven, how about you?"

"Twenty-seven?" Applejack repeated, showing signs of shock in her voice.

"Yeah," I replied.

I began thinking, maybe I should come clean and tell Applejack the truth about myself. Then again, how would she react if I told her I come from a place where there were two-legged creatures whom had hands? Would I look like a complete idiot? Or would she honestly understand me? I decided ultimately to come clean about my past.

"Listen, Applejack," I slowly started, "I have to come clean about something..."

"About what, partner?" she asked me.

"I'm actually not from this world." I meekly responded.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well," I began explaining, hoping I could find the correct words to explain it, "I'm from a planet called Earth and was originally a human – a two-legged creature with hands instead of these hooves. I...woke up here after being killed back home and don't really have any other memory as to how I got here or even why I'm here."

I went on to explain things a little bit further to Applejack, hoping that she would understand, though a large part of me knew that trying to understand this was almost the same as going mentally insane.

"Wait a minute, lemme get this straight."

"Shoot, Applejack."

Applejack and I both stopped walking down the path we were on as she began to reiterate everything I had just told her.

"So, y'all are from another world and ya came here after you did WHAT?"

"I came here after I was killed back home." I answered falsely. Let's be honest, it was kind of true, though I killed myself, as you know. How would Applejack respond if I told her I committed suicide? Would she think I was insane or mentally troubled? Or even a mentally incapacitated freak?

"Is that so..." responded Applejack.

I had nodded very, very slowly, almost forcing myself to nod – just a bit. It's like an entire thinking process went through my head while I nodded. First off, I thought that if I had nodded quickly, Applejack would assume something wasn't quite right, but if I had nodded slowly, maybe Applejack would show signs of compassion and understanding towards my...condition, I guess would be the word to use here.

Turns out that she did understand my situation, as strange as that sounds. She wrapped her hoof around my neck – my emerald green neck – while starting to hug me.

"It must've been just awful to go through what you just gone through, partner." Applejack quietly muttered.

__You have no idea, Applejack... __I thought to myself.

"How could you be so calm right now?" Applejack questioned.

I had a hard time answering that. I was calm, just on the outside, but on the inside, that was an entirely different story. Inside, I was trembling with the biggest of fears, mainly why I was here, but also how I present myself towards others and how I go about adjusting to my new life.

"I'm not, Applejack," I quietly responded, "I mean, I am on the outside, but on the inside, I'm just trembling with fear; fears that I just can't seem to explain."

"Ah thought so..." Applejack finished, pulling herself back from me.

I gave off a false smile, one that you couldn't tell unless you really knew me. Applejack seemed to buy it, though, as we continued trotting down the dirt path towards the nearest town – Ponyville, to be exact. I believe Applejack said she was taking me to go meet her friends – Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, I believe she told me.

Memorization wasn't hard. In fact, it was fairly easy for me. Memorizing multiple names at one time was a challenge though. Frankly, I sort of forgot the names of the three creatures from before – though I never brought that up with Applejack.

Something about walking, trotting, whatever it is, down this dirt path seemed familiar, like I've seen this somewhere before. Perhaps my younger sister knew something about this.

Oh, that reminds me. I completely forgot to tell you about my younger sister. Her name was Ariana and she was the sweetest little girl you could imagine. As my parents told my older sister and myself, Ariana was just simply perfect for someone of her age. Unfortunately, after both of our parents died, I went into a deep state of depression and Ariana did as well. Since I was unfit to care for her, I sent her to go live with my uncle from my father's side of the family. It was a tough decision to do, but it was for the better that she lived with him since he could care for her.

Anyway, Ariana used to love watching this show called My Little Pony and she always wanted me to watch it with her, telling me that it's what friends would do. Not wanting to object to the idea coming from a sweet and innocent seven-year-old girl, I agreed as we both sat on the couch and watched the three episodes that came on each and every day, together.

I remember how colorful it was; how friendly the characters were; how compassionate they were towards one another. I remember how each character got along – the majority of the time, that is – and how they always helped each other out, even if the situation was completely insane (i.e. Pinkie Pie).

Anyway, with Applejack and myself trotting down the path together, this path started becoming clearer and clearer to me. I finally figured out where I was (which took a long time, honestly), though I couldn't exactly figure out how I came here.

I was in the world of My Little Pony. What was it called...I honestly should know this. I know Ariana would know where I was. It wasn't Ponyville, that was the name of the main town in the world. I think it started with an E, but I can't quite place the name right now...

This is going to drive me insane, not knowing what the name of the world I am in is called...

Applejack was talking to me the entire time, but I had tuned out all noise from the outside world. Tuning back in, I managed to pick up where Applejack was in the conversation. Sort of.

"...newest princess Equestria has to offer." finished Applejack.

That's it! It was Equestria! That's the name of the world I woke up in. As for the last thing Applejack said, I believe she was referring to Twilight Sparkle. I don't remember much, but I know for a fact that Twilight Sparkle was Ariana's favorite pony and she was super thrilled about when she became, what they called, an alicorn and a pony princess. As for myself, my two favorite ponies (they tied for best pony for me) were Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy was my favorite just because she was kind and shy, just like me and Rainbow Dash was also my favorite because of her athleticism and agility, just like me, though I'm sure she was probably faster than I was.

"So what's life like where you come from?" Applejack curiously asked.

"Where I come from," I quietly started, "we aren't shaped like this; ponies don't exist in my world. We work day and night, which isn't controlled like the sun and moon here are, to make a living. Speaking of the sun and moon, my home planet orbits the sun while the moon orbits my planet. I understand here that your princesses – Luna and Celestia, I believe there names are – use their magic to raise and lower both the sun and moon each and every day. Where I come from, we walk on two legs and pick things up with our hands, or your front hooves in this case now. We humans, as we're called, aren't as closely connected and friendly towards certain other humans as your kind is with each other. We are actually torn between each other, with severe quarrels called wars occurring between each other when things get too severe to handle with words."

"That sounds jus' terrible, Rob," Applejack offered.

"Not all the time," I replied, "but my life seemed to be just that..."

"Do y'all wish to go back home?"

"Honestly," I said, stopping to think about it for a quick second, "no. I want to stay here."

"Why?" questioned Applejack.

"I feel like I'd be more happier here than I would have been back home." I meekly replied.

"Well, if y'all are happy," Applejack said, wrapping a hoof around my neck once more, "then Ah'm happy, too!"

I smiled back, truthfully this time, as we continued down the path towards the little town known as Ponyville. The journey was quiet for the most part, I guess because Applejack wanted to appreciate my feelings and give them the privacy they deserved. The path started taking a bend, so we followed it, still approaching the little town of Ponyville. There was a gentle breeze that flew past and went through my hair, making me feel a little bit better. It offered a calm serenity and allowed me to stop thinking about many things and also allowed me to start focusing on what was going to come ahead in time. Shortly thereafter, I saw a large village in the distance that was quickly approaching. There were large houses and buildings all around and they had really grabbed my attention.

"Here we are, Rob," Applejack cheerfully said, "Ponyville!"

My eyes grew wide and twinkled, kind of like how a Japanese anime character does that quivering, watery eye thing sometimes. Ponyville was so colorful; so alive. The atmosphere felt different from just watching it through a television screen. Being here felt comfortable, but at the same time, it feels like something that is on a completely different level compared to being just comfortable.

"It's so nice..." I said after a while.

I looked around from building to building, noticing that they were all built almost identical to each other, with the exception of a few buildings and with the major exception being Twilight Sparkle's oak tree home – the Golden Oaks Library, I think it's called.

Applejack and I proceeded over towards Twilight's home first. It was surprisingly a very quick walk from the edge of town to Twilight's home. Then again, full-length distances were never shown in the show. Two things either happened during the show: either the traveling character was cut away from, cutting straight to the pony whom would be visited or the show would only show half of the journey (I assume half, but you could never be too sure of that). Getting the feeling and opportunity to actually travel the entire distance was pretty exciting, honestly.

Up ahead in the distance was Twilight's home. Upon reaching the front door, Applejack gently knocked her hoof on it before shunting backwards next to me.

"Y'all are gonna love Twilight, Rob," Applejack said to me, "she's smart and a great friend, much like yourself."

I smiled at the compliment Applejack just gave me as the door began opening up. Instead of the princess, however, before us stood a tiny purple-and-green dragon. I remembered seeing one in the show, but couldn't place my hand – err, hoof – on who this was. The tiny dragon gazed up at both Applejack and myself, only greeting Applejack. I guess since he didn't recognize me, he wouldn't engage in conversation with me, but that's just my philosophy.

"Hi there, Applejack!" The dragon spoke cheerfully. He glanced over towards me. "Who's your friend here?"

"Howdy, Spike," Applejack replied, "this here is Rob. He's brand new to these parts and Ah was jus' showin' him aroun' town. Is Twilight home?"

"Sure," replied the tiny dragon, Spike, "lemme just go get her."

With that said, Spike left to go find Twilight Sparkle, whom was located somewhere inside this...umm...house? Would she call it a house or a tree? I know Rainbow Dash referred to this as a tree, but I couldn't remember if Twilight or anybody...excuse me, anypony, else referred to this as a tree.

Anyway, Applejack stepped into the tree, myself closely following behind her. Inside Twilight's home, I managed to gaze around and see so many books on the shelves. Then again, this _was_ a library after all. I began skimming through the books, locating one that really caught my attention. This book was entitled "The History of Equestria: Everything You Need To Know About Equestria." I was just about to take it off the shelf and open it up, when I heard some...hoof-steps? Would that be correct terminology here?

Either way, I turned my head around and saw Princess Twilight Sparkle coming down the stairs, being closely followed by Spike. I came up beside Applejack as Twilight met us in the center of the bright, circular room. Twilight looked just as good as she did during her coronation (not to sound creepy). I could see that she was wearing her crown, which probably meant that she no longer was self-conscious about it. As for her new wings, I couldn't tell if she felt comfortable with them.

"Hello, Applejack," Twilight softly said. Like Spike, she then glanced over towards me. "Who is this?"

"This here is Robert, Twilight," Applejack reiterated, "he's new to Ponyville and Ah was jus' showin' him aroun'."

Twilight studied my every detail, something I probably should have done the second I got here. In short, she could tell more about me than maybe even I could in a few more seconds. The biggest thing that clouded my mind was that I did not know what species I was, Earth pony, Pegasus, or unicorn. I concluded that I could not be a Pegasus since I felt no wings attached to either side of me, so that ruled that out. The only thing I didn't know was if I was an "Earthy," as some people call Earth ponies, or a unicorn.

After a while of studying, Twilight looked me in the eye and began smiling at me.

"You have very beautiful eyes, Robert," Twilight complimented, "they look almost like emeralds."

That cleared my answer as to what my eye color was, though to be honest, that wasn't on my mind at all. Still, I didn't want to be rude, so I thanked Twilight for the very meaningful compliment, which was something I rarely ever received when I was living back home.

"Such lovely manners, too," continued Twilight, glancing over towards Applejack, "Rarity is sure going to love him, wouldn't you say?"

"He's humble and modest, Twilight," Applejack replied.

I began blushing. I had never received such compliments back home, so these actually meant a lot to me, even if they were just simplistic compliments.

"__And __he's a unicorn!" Twilight exclaimed further, answering one of my main questions as to who I was.

"Yeah, about that," I softly spoke.

"You sound like how Fluttershy would speak." Twilight cut in. "Are you a shy pony?"

"Just a little bit," I answered back, having a little more confidence showing in the sound of my voice.

"It's alright," Twilight continued, "you'll open up like she did over time, I'm sure of it."

"Twilight knows pretty much everythin' there is to know, Rob," Applejack chimed in, "so Ah'm sure she's right."

"I'm sure, as well," I said, "might I ask you a quick question, Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

"But, of course," answered Twilight, "and please, do call me Twilight. I'm not entirely comfortable being called __Princess__ Twilight Sparkle just yet."

"If you insist," I replied.

"Thank you," thanked Twilight, "now, what was it you wanted to ask?"

"As you can quite very well notice, I am indeed a unicorn, much like yourself...I mean, like you were. However, I seem to be having trouble with...this sounds silly..."

"It doesn't sound silly at all, Robert," Twilight insisted, "were you just about to ask me if I may help you out with your magic?"

I gulped for a quick second, fortunately short enough so that nopony else noticed, "Yes, I was. However, the preceding story I would have told you in detail is not true."

"What do you mean?" asked a curious Twilight.

I began to let out a long, unsatisfied sigh, unsure if what I was about to reiterate (again) would make any sense to Twilight. I'm quite surprised that Applejack understood me fully, though I still don't know why she understood. Looking over towards Applejack, I slowly closed my eyes and began telling my entire story once more.

"Twilight," I started, "can you promise me that you won't freak out with what I'm about to say?"

"Of course," Twilight replied without any sort of hesitation, "but why do you ask?"

I sighed once more, just not as long and as hard as the previous sigh.

"Because what I'm about to tell you is going to sound completely and utterly insane."

* * *

"...and that's pretty much all there is I need to tell you."

Twilight Sparkle was astounded by the unusual (and kinda creepy) story I just finished. I made it a mission not to leave out any details of it and I believe that it came out nicely - for the most part, that is. I did leave out the word suicide and substituted it for killed in my story, but I did that to Applejack as well, so it was all in good timing...or wording...or whatever.

Anyway, I left Twilight in amazement. How could I tell? Her jaw was dropped fully and was hanging on to every single detail. I glanced over towards Applejack, whom appeared as if she would burst out laughing at any second.

"Y'all should look at the look on yer face, Twilight," Applejack spoke through her amusing giggling.

I couldn't help but chuckle as I paid my attention from the story I just spoke to Twilight's befuddled look. It wasn't nice, but I couldn't help it. Fighting back the chuckles, I managed to get something out.

"Speechless, are we Twilight?" I asked.

Twilight shook her head rigorously, snapping her out of any trance she may have previously been in (hopefully it wasn't from the evil enchantress who does evil dances). Finally, she had begun answering my question.

"That's sure quite a story, Robert," she slowly started, "I'm sure Princess Celestia will enjoy hearing about it. You know, if you want to share it with her that is."

"You can share it with whoever you want, Twilight," I replied, "it doesn't bother me at all."

"I'll start preparing a letter immediately," the little dragon, Spike, chimed.

"And make sure you capture every detail within that letter, Spike," Twilight continued.

With that said, Spike traveled upstairs and got a jump start on the letter to Princess Celestia. Suddenly, there came a knock on the door. Twilight calmly and collectively opened up the door to reveal three other ponies, an Earth pony and two Pegasus ponies. I immediately recognized them all, especially the Pegasus ponies. My eyes grew wide (again) as they entered the room.

"Hey, Twilight!" The three of them said in unison.

"Hi, girls," replied Twilight, "how are you three doing today?"

"Umm...I'm fine..." A palely colored yellow Pegasus pony softly spoke.

My ears twitched up upon hearing this pony's voice. It was the sweet, elegant voice of one of my favorite ponies - Fluttershy!

Looking over towards the other two ponies that came inside, I noticed that the cutie mark on one of them - the Pegasus, to be more specific - was a rainbow colored bolt. I knew that only one Pegasus had a cutie mark such as that, and that was Rainbow Dash!

"How about you, Rainbow?" Twilight asked the Pegasus.

"I'm feeling totally awesome today!" replied Rainbow Dash.

Honestly, I don't know how many bronies would pay to be in this situation I was in right now, you know, with the exception of the hardships and tough choices I had to make in order to get here, but you know...it is what it is.

What it is...

Looking over towards the final pony, a pink Earth pony, I immediately noticed a hyper active motive coming from her. Nobody needed to explain to me who this was. Anyone could clearly see and identify who this pony was, who was currently bouncing up and down in place from sheer excitement.

"How about you, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight chuckled, watching the party pony bounce in place.

"Super duper fun, Twilight!" Replied the pink pony.

I couldn't help but utter more chuckles, dragging the attention away from Twilight and attracting it to me, something I wasn't comfortable with, honestly.

"Who's that?" I heard Pinkie Pie ask.

I opened my eyes and found that Pinkie's face was right up against mine. Pinkie's entire head filled my line of vision and, honestly, that can be a bit too much pink for me to handle at this close range.

"Hi!" Pinkie shouted. "What's your name?"

I gulped for a second. I mean, Pinkie was just being Pinkie but this was something I was NOT used to, even if I knew the motives of this fun-tastic Earth pony.

Looking into her blue eyes was somewhat hypnotic - soothing even. However, after a while, I began to explain myself to the three new ponies who had just stepped foot - I mean hoof - into Twilight's home.

"My name is Robert," I started before awkwardly stopping.

Applejack noticed the awkward silence I was offering and decided to help out with the explanations.

"Ya see," she started, "Rob here isn't from here,"

"Right," chimed Twilight, "Robert is originally a hum man. Am I saying that right, Robert?"

"Close, Twilight," I called over, "it's pronounced hugh-men, spelt h-u-m-a-n."

"Right," continued Twilight, "anyway, he came to our world after a tragic event occurred in his world."

Rainbow Dash glared at me, sort of giving me a cold, hard stare. Fluttershy was doing the same, but not as intensely as Rainbow Dash was. Eventually, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"Tragic event, huh?" She questioned, "like what?"

"I was killed in my world and came here." I boldly replied. I probably should've added a bit of emotion to that response but, once again, it is what it is.

Rainbow Dash stared bluntly at me, jaw dropped from my choice of words. Fluttershy, on the other hand, had her front hooves held up against her mouth and her eyes were wide from shock.

Some tense silence slowly passed by before Twilight picked up the conversation and introductions once more.

"Anyway," started Twilight, "Robert here is new to our world and seems to be enjoying it fully, isn't that right, Robert?"

I smiled while giving my feedback on my time here in Equestria, more specifically, Ponyville.

"I love being here," I answered with a large smile, "it's so much better than back home and plus, I have a feeling ill be a lot happier here than I ever was back home!"

"Well," Rainbow Dash started after a while more had passed, "any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine!"

With that said, Rainbow Dash hovered closer to the ground and held out her hoof, signaling for a hoof-bump, which I gladly took part in. Bumping her hoof, I smiled and thanked Rainbow Dash for the compliment and compassion. Fluttershy was still being shy, which didn't bother me all that much since it took some time for her and Twilight to become friends when they first met. Pinkie Pie immediately tugged at my neck and wrapped both her hooves around me for a large, somewhat suffocating, yet calm hug.

Trust me when I say this: I can definitely get used to living here!

"We're sooo happy you are here," Pinkie Pie smiled, "especially since Nightmare Night is just around the corner!"

The pink pony, Pinkie Pie, was bouncing up and down in place from sheer excitement about this "Nightmare Night" fiasco. Unaware of what it was, I tilted my head and gave out a confused grunt.

"What's "Nightmare Night?"" I asked, motioning my hooves as I said the name.

"Seriously?" Asked Pinkie Pie. "You don't know what Nightmare Night is?"

I shook my head no.

"Now, now, Pinkie," Twilight started, "he is from another world. Perhaps on his world there is no such thing."

Pinkie Pie looked down in disappointment, completely forgetting that I was not of this world and did not know the ways of Equestria, at least, not all of them. Twilight smiled at Pinkie Pie, forgiving her of her actions, as did I.

"Nightmare Night happens once every year, Robert," Twilight started.

"It's the perfect time of the year to play pranks on everypony!" added Rainbow Dash.

Twilight shot a mean look at Rainbow Dash, knowing quite well that that wasn't the true reason to celebrate Nightmare Night.

"Actually," Twilight hissed, "Nightmare Night is a night where young fillies and colts go-"

"And me!" Pinkie Pie quickly added, cutting Twilight off.

"And...Pinkie," Twilight paused, "but they go out and collect candy for Nightmare Moon, offering it as a means of peace so that Equestria will be safe for another year from the wrath of Nightmare Moon."

That sounded oddly familiar the more I thought about it. Nightmare Night, Nightmare Moon? Those definitely sounded familiar, like I've heard them before. I know I've heard Nightmare Moon before but Nightmare Night is a bit hazy in my memory, to be honest.

"You said children go around and collect candy?" I asked after a thinking for a while.

"That's right," Twilight answered.

"And the children take the candy they've collected and offer it up to a statue of Nightmare Moon in the Everfree Forest as a sign of peace," I continued, "right?"

"Right."

"That sounds like a holiday we celebrate back home called Halloween." I replied.

"Hal-O-Een?" The group of six ponies simultaneously asked.

"Halloween," I started, "is a holiday celebrated on the last day of October where little children dress up in costumes and go around collecting candy."

"And do they offer the candy they've collected to somepony?" Fluttershy quietly asked.

"No," I answered, "they keep whatever they collect for themselves or to share with someone else."

"Sounds..." paused Rainbow Dash.

"...peculiar." finished Twilight.

"How so?" I asked, a hint of curiosity showing in the sound of my voice.

"Well," started Twilight, "doesn't it sound a bit weird that nopony makes any kind of offering?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure of what exactly Twilight was getting at.

"Well," continued Twilight, "if nopony makes an offering, doesn't anything happen?"

"What are you all talking about ladies?" a new voice asked, belonging to a pony that was currently climbing down the stairs. The new pony – a white colored unicorn with a royal purple mane color – noticed me and smiled. "...and gentleman."

"Our friend Robert has never heard of Nightmare Night, Rarity," Twilight explained, going back to the previous conversation, "so, nothing happens if you don't make any offering, Robert?"

I had to sit there and actually think about that logic. I mean, if they don't offer up candy to Nightmare Moon, she will come back and "gobble up" the children. However, if they offer up their candy, Equestria will be safe for another year, at least according to Zecora. However, since we didn't offer candy to anyone (but trick-or-treaters, obviously), nothing bad ever happened that I can recall.

After some extensive thinking, I finally shook my head and answered, "Not that I can think of...no."

The other six sat back and glanced between each other. Twilight "shrugged" her front hooves and let that comment slide - for now, at least.

"Anyway," started Rarity after some tense silence filled the room, "I always look fabulous in my costume on Nightmare Night."

"I look awesome!" Rainbow Dash chimed.

"I look silly!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"I look magical." Twilight added.

"I don't do Nightmare Night..." said a very quiet Fluttershy.

That last comment stuck to me like a bug to a spider web would. I asked Fluttershy why she wouldn't partake in Nightmare Night.

"Visitors aren't welcome on Nightmare Night!" shrieked Fluttershy.

"But...why?" I repeated.

Fluttershy gave me a cold stare and I immediately dropped the subject. Instead, Twilight asked me how I look on Nightmare Night, though I knew that she meant Halloween.

"Personally, I haven't taken part in Halloween for a while." I admitted. "Although, the last year I did something, I dressed up as a bloodthirsty zombie."

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash screamed.

I smiled a bit to know that one of my favorite ponies accepted and liked what I did last on Halloween.

"So, what are you going to do this year?" Pinkie Pie asked, signs of curiosity showing in her voice.

"I'm going to dress up as one of my idols back home." I replied.

"Oh?" Rarity questioned. "And who might that be?"

I smiled and looked up into the sky - or in this case, the ceiling. Glancing back down at the six ponies, I told them who exactly I was talking about.

"Slash."

"Slash?" The six simultaneously said.

"Yup," I replied, "Slash."

"Who is that?" Twilight questioned.

"Back home, Slash was a skilled guitarist who played in a rock band called Guns N' Roses. Growing up, he was the real reason I taught myself how to play guitar." I paused for a quick second before picking up again. "I've always wanted to dress up like him and be just like him."

"So what's stopping you, darling?" asked Rarity.

"He has like this really curly black hair that this emerald green name can't touch," I answered, "plus he also has a top hat that's almost impossible to find."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance, Robert," offered Rarity.

"You'd do that for me, Miss Rarity?" an astonished self just asked. "Some...pony you just met?"

"But, of course, Robert," answered Rarity, "after all, that's what friends do for each other."

I felt touched by those words. I had been here for not even a day, and these six ponies consider myself to be one of their friends.

That suicide was possibly the best decision I've ever made.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

I smiled with delight as Rarity used her magic to construct a top hat that looked somewhat like Slash's top hat. I mean, I had to provide approximate dimensions of the hat, which weren't the best since I never actually seen the hat in person, just over television waves or on the internet (once we got it, that is).

"And...qu'elle est terminé." Rarity complied while putting the top hat on top of my head.

"What?" I asked, unknown of what she had said.

Rarity giggled as I asked that. I looked back and tilted my head ever so slightly, showing even more signs of confusion.

"It means, 'It is finished,' darling," she told me.

I blushed a bit, a little embarrassed that I failed to put two and two together and come to a conclusion of what it meant. I rubbed the back of my neck with my (very flexible) front left hoof and proceeded to ask what language that was.

"It is French, Robert," Rarity answered in her high-classed English voice.

I, honestly, was amazed that Rarity knew French so...so...I don't know, but she knew it and she knew it well.

"That's amazing, Miss Rarity," I complimented.

"Such good manners, Robert," responded Rarity, "thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome," I replied. "Are there any other languages you're familiar with?"

"Just English and French, Robert," Rarity answered, using her magic to remove the top hat and place a wig atop my head, "how about you?"

"I know English, my dominant language, a little bit of Spanish, French, and Japanese," I responded.

"Such a wide range of languages," a pleased and impressed Rarity stated, using her magic to exchange one wig with another, "might I receive a demonstration of ces langues, s'il vous plaît [these languages, please]?"

I smiled, turning my head towards Rarity so that I may "provide a demonstration," if you will.

"Je ne sais pas, mademoiselle [I do not know, miss]." I chuckled, speaking in French.

"Oh," Rarity gasped, "please, continue."

"¿Estás seguro de que usted puede entender lo que estoy diciendo [Are you sure you can understand what I'm saying]?" I asked in Spanish.

"Perhaps I may," Rarity replied, although the look on her face told me that she had no idea what I just said.

"あなたの日が起こっているか、希少ミス (Anata no hi ga okotte iru ka, kishō misu)?" I asked in Japanese.

"What does that mean?" the curious, high-society unicorn asked.

I chuckled, answering the question that was asked upon me. "It means, 'How is your day going, Miss Rarity?'"

"Simply fabulous, darling," Rarity answered, referring to both my question and the wig that she placed atop my head. "There, perfect."

"Complete?" I asked, revealing hints of curiosity in my voice.

"Fini [finished]." Rarity said.

Using her magic, she dragged a mirror in front of me and I gazed upon the completed outfit I was to wear on Nightmare Night. I was awe struck at the complexity and the detailing of both the custom-made top hat and the wig, both of which appeared to match the way Slash had his top hat and hair almost perfectly. Now that I looked like Slash, all I needed was Les Gibson guitar, the main guitar he used when he played live.

"How do you like it?" Rarity asked me.

"I love it, Miss Rarity," I answered back, offering her a content and satisfied smile.

Rarity then clapped her front hooves together as she started helping me off the pedestal I was standing on. She took off the wig and the top hat using her magic and set them aside for me.

"Come now," she started, "let us visit Twilight once more. If I recall, she did say that she would help you out with magic, seeing how you're a unicorn now with no ability to use the magic."

"Thank you, Miss Rarity," I replied.

"You may address me simply as Rarity, darling," she offered.

"Thank you, Rarity," I answered as we left the Carousel Boutique.

Walking off of the property and turning left down the dirt road, I proceeded to ask Rarity what magic means to a unicorn.

"Well, darling," Rarity started, "a unicorn with class has the most beautiful magic. A unicorn must never use their magic for horrid purposes. A unicorn must be stylish, classy, take __pride__ in their magic. A unicorn must embrace their magic – true magic that they are born with."

"So magic and unicorns go hand in hand, right?" I asked.

"'Hand in hand?'"

"It's an expression back home," I replied, "It means that they go together, correct?"

"Absolutely, Robert," answered Rarity.

I smiled at Rarity, then turned my head back forward and glanced at Twilight's oak tree home, which was conveniently close to the Carousel Boutique, though the distance was never shown on the show. We approached the front door and Rarity knocked ever so elegantly on it. A few seconds later, Twilight opened up the door and escorted us both inside her home.

Inside, Twilight was alone, with Spike tending to his cleaning in the upstairs room. Twilight guided us to the center of the large, circular, wooden room and then turned back around to face both Rarity and myself. Rarity left my side and stood next to Twilight, also facing me in the process.

"Are you ready to learn the ways of magic, Robert?" Twilight asked me, Rarity smiling at me in the process.

Looking up at my horn, I nodded my head and confidently spoke, "Yes, I am, Twilight."

Rarity glanced over towards Twilight, whom did the same, then back at me. An elegant magenta aura then covered Twilight's horn while a modest blue aura covered Rarity's horn.

"Welcome to your life, Robert," Twilight spoke to me as a beam of magic shot out from both her horn and Rarity's horn and wrapped around me.

"Seek inside yourself for the magic within you and drag that out, Robert," Twilight told me.

I closed my eyes and tried very, very hard to access the magic within my body. Drops of sweat began falling from the sides of my face as I was trying very hard to feel the magic embrace my horn, but had no luck in doing so. As I began to stop trying, I felt the magic from within myself embrace my entire body and navigate its way to my horn. I had accessed my magic and successfully navigated it to my horn.

"What a magnificent emerald aura, Robert," Rarity admired.

I smiled as I glanced up at my horn and saw the bottom portion of the emerald aura embrace my horn. I was simply excited beyond words as I began to access my magic.

"Now you are a true unicorn, Robert," Twilight told me, "now let's work on controlling your magic and performing basic magic spells."

I grew curious. "Basic magic spells such as...?"

Twilight smiled, levitating a book in front of me. "Levitation." She placed the book down and teleported to the other side of the room, then back to her original spot. "Teleportation." She then lit up her horn in front of me. "And light spells. These are a few basic spells that are pretty easy to learn. Once you master them, we'll try some other spells. Are you ready to learn the magnificent ways of magic, Robert?"

"I am, Twilight." I smiled in response.

"Then let us begin, shall we." Twilight replied.

With that said, Twilight and Rarity had begun the lessons so that I could strengthen my newfound magical abilities.

* * *

"Well I'll be, darling, you are sure a fast learner."

"I was the best in my class back home, much like how Twilight is to Princess Celestia, pupil wise, I mean," I replied.

Twilight blushed, "You're too kind, Robert,"

"No, you are," I said, "both of you. You two are going out of your ways to help me with my magic - some...pony you just met!"

"Here," began Twilight, "it's what friends do for each other."

"That's right, darling," chimed Rarity, "and a friend in need is a friend indeed."

I smiled largely, grateful that I had become great friends with two very friendly (and pretty) ponies, more specifically, a high-society unicorn, and a royal alicorn.

"Now, let's put your magic to the test," Twilight challenged.

I gulped. If Twilight meant what I think she meant, then...well let's just say my emerald color would be stained with bruises and with red blood stains. I know Twilight wasn't a violent pony, but her magic was ferocious - one you did not want to go up against in a duel or battle. That was a fact. After witnessing her last battle with Tirek, Twilight made it known indirectly that if you go on her bad side, you will regret being on her bad side and, hopefully, her magic wouldn't kill you. My knees grew weaker as I looked into Twilight's eyes.

"Do you mean, a magic duel?" I feebly asked.

Twilight chuckled, stepping next to me and putting her hoof on my shoulder (odd right? Four legs but still have shoulders...well, it's odd to me, at least).

"Yes, Robert," she assured me, "a magic duel,"

"A-against you?" I stuttered.

"Nope." Twilight laughed.

I sighed slightly in relief, but then wondered who I would go against. "Then who?"

Suddenly, a new alicorn came down from the upstairs bedroom. My eyes went straight to this alicorn as they made their way down and positioned himself against Twilight, wrapping a wing around her body.

"Against me, buddy." He told me.

"Robert," Twilight smiled, "meet Prince Lunar. He is my coltfriend and shares the jobs of the night with Princess Luna. He will be your opponent in the magic duel."

I stood silent and stared into this Lunar's eyes, growing more fearful with every passing second. I glanced over at Twilight and noticed an unusually large grin on her face. I gazed over at Rarity and noticed she had her hoof covering up her mouth, giggling in the process then I looked back at Lunar and noticed he was grinning as well. Looking back at Twilight (who was slightly shorter than I was), I noticed that she had begun to burst out laughing. I was ultimately left dazed and confused.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Darling," started Rarity, "did you really believe that you would duel Lunar magically?"

I honestly nodded very, very slowly.

"No offense to you, Robert," Twilight started, "but in case you don't know, Lunar is a skilled alicorn in the field of magic, so a duel with you would have gone very quickly."

"No need to brag about it, Princess Twilight," I teased, knowing quite well that she hated being called that.

Twilight shot a mean look at me as I cleverly smiled back at her.

"Is there a problem, Twilight?" I playfully asked.

Twilight looked down at my front left hoof and hit it with her right front hoof, something that didn't bother me at all. It was all for fun and games after all.

"Anyway," Twilight started, "it's getting a tad late. I think I'm gonna call it a night."

"Aww," Lunar smirked, "somepony is tired."

Twilight nodded, pushing herself closer into Lunar's wing. Rarity took the hint and looked towards the door.

"Indeed, it is getting a tad dark outside," responded Rarity, "I wish to you a good slumber for tonight, Twilight. You too, Lunar."

"Goodnight, __Princess___."_ I playfully teased while following Rarity out the doorway.

She gave me a stare that looked like a playful cold eye, if that makes any sense, before I used my newly developed magic to shut the door behind us.

Yawning, I turned my attention back towards Rarity, who's long, elegant mane was sparkling in the midst of the night.

"Where will you stay, darling?" She asked me ever so quietly.

"Je ne sais pais, Rarity," I replied.

"Hmm...perhaps you could stay with me until you find yourself a quality home here in Ponyville," offered Rarity, "how does that sound?"

"That sounds spectacular, Rarity," I replied, "thank you for your kind hospitality."

"You're very welcome, Robert," Rarity cheerfully spoke.

For the remainder of the journey back to the Carousel Boutique, both Rarity and myself remained silent. Once we got "home," Rarity opened up the door with her magic and turned on the lights. Soon after, she had showed me to the room I'd be staying in and helped me make the bed.

After getting in my bed for the night, I used my magic to drag up the sheets as Rarity started for the door.

"If there is anything you need," she said before closing the door, "just please let me know."

"Thank you, again, for your hospitality, Rarity," I spoke as the door shut.

"It's the least I could do," Rarity responded before the door fully shut.

That night seemed to be a busy one up in my mind. After the door had shut, my imagination started running wild and was taking over reality in my line of vision. I had fallen asleep quite briefly this time around, which was a wonder since it always took me a while to fall asleep back home, though when I was asleep, I _was_ asleep.

__Take me away,__ I thought, __to my serenity.__

* * *

"Ha! Did you really think you could beat me? How pathetic!"

What went wrong? Why was I hurting so much?

"Is that all you have? The Elements of Harmony? Should change your name to the Elements of __Lose___ony_!"

The Elements of Harmony? If this...this...thing was fighting the Elements of Harmony, then why was I hurting?

"And you! The Element of Happiness! You're the weakest of them all! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

For some reason, the being pointed at me and my severely beaten body. I coughed very hard, then proceeded looking around. Laying on the ground all around me were the other Elements of Harmony, all six of them.

My jaw immediately dropped, and some blood started pouring out from my mouth. Was I dying?

I looked up at the shadow of the being who had defeated the Elements of Harmony as well as myself. I recognized a hoof hanging in the air above me as the being began conversing with me.

"Always remember: you were the weakest Element of them all!"

And with that said, the being's hoof came crashing down onto my neck and head. I had passed out from exhaustion and loss of blood afterward, though my mind was still trying to process what exactly was going on. A faint ringing could be heard from beyond although I was unable to sense where exactly they were coming from. The sounds started becoming clearer and clearer as time went by. They seemed to be calling out to me.

"Robert, darling! Dear me..."

The voices seemed to be coming from inside my head; voices that sounded an awful lot like Rarity's voice. I was stunned, unaware of what exactly was happening around me.

"Robert, dear," continued Rarity, "you have to wake up!"

Wake up? I was asleep? Then why were the voices so clear? Last thing I remember was myself getting beaten harshly along with the Elements of Harmony. I remember that a being defeated us - a tall one, for that matter. I remember him coming up to me and telling me, the Element of Happiness, that I was the weakest Element of them all. Two things shocked me in that preposition. The first was that the Elements of Harmony were defeated. The second was that I was the Element of Happiness, an Element I've never even heard of!

"Forgive me for this, Robert," I heard Rarity say.

Forgive her for-

__SPLASH!__

Yowch! That was hot as hell!

"What? Huh? Wha-I'm awake!"

"Thank heaven, too," Rarity told me, "you seemed to be trapped in the most horrid of nightmares, Robert. Are you alright?"

I climbed out of the bed and shook myself dry. Honestly, wet fur doesn't feel quite right. Scratch that; it doesn't feel good at all. I just wish that I hadn't wet the items that surrounded me, including Rarity - a bit. I opened my eyes and saw Rarity and her somewhat displeased look on her face as I saw her stylish mane get wet.

"Oh my!" I exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, Rarity,"

"It's quite alright, Robert," replied Rarity, "I guess I did deserve it for wetting you in your sleep."

"My apologies, though, Rarity," I fixated.

"Were you having a nightmare, dear?" Rarity confronted me.

I looked away, shutting my eyes slowly.

"I'm sorry, dear," Rarity told me.

"No," I replied, "it's fine. And yes, I did have a nightmare..."

"Care to talk about it, Robert?"

"I need to tell someone, so sure," I said.

We went downstairs into the living room and sat down on a couch-type thing. I mean, it looked like a couch, but it also looked like a really fancy bench. Is there a happy medium between the two that I don't know about? Anyway, we both sat down and I started sighing.

"Where to begin..." I started.

"Start anywhere you want, darling," Rarity said, wrapping a hoof around my neck and positioning herself closer to me.

I smiled slightly. It wasn't a false smile, though it also wasn't truly a true one either. I looked up towards the ceiling and started to recall my bizarre dream.

"For some reason," I started, "you - and by you I mean the Elements of Harmony - were in the midst of a battle with a tall being that I couldn't fully identify."

"Really?" Rarity asked, showing signs of surprise in her voice.

"Yes," I continued, "I was there as well and, according to the being, I was the Element of Happiness, which is an Element I've never even heard of!"

"Neither have I, darling," Rarity chimed.

"Anyway, the being defeated you as well as me and he came up to me." I paused for a quick second to regain my breath. "The being towered over me and pointed to my blood-spattered body. He told me that I, the Element of Happiness, was the weakest Element of them all!"

"That's peculiar, Robert," Rarity told me.

"How so?" I immediately asked.

"Well," continued Rarity, "you clearly aren't weak at all. No, you're strong."

"Thank you, Rarity," I meekly replied, "but I'm not so sure about that."

"You are, darling," Rarity assured, "don't be so hard on yourself."

I smiled a bit more as Rarity complimented me.

"As for you and your Element of 'Happiness,'" Rarity motioned her front hooves as she said that, "I've never heard of such a thing. Perhaps we should see if Twilight would know anything on that."

"You think she would?" I asked doubtfully. "I mean, I've never heard of an Element like that. All I know is that there are six elements and that you and your friends represent each of them. Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness, Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty, Applejack is the Element of Honesty, Pinkie Pie is the Element of Laughter, you are the Element of Generosity, and Twilight is the Element of Magic."

"You know your stuff," Rarity replied, revealing tones of amazement and excitement in her voice, causing me to blush a bit.

"Thanks." I said while rubbing the back of my neck.

"Come," Rarity told me, "let's visit Twilight and see what she knows."

We then stood up and proceeded outside. Rarity was preparing herself to shut the door with her magic, but I stopped her from doing so.

"Allow me," I insisted.

Using my magic (which, on a side note, I absolutely loved the emerald aura it had), I gained control of the door and slowly closed it. I made sure to be as delicate as possible when moving it since Twilight told me that any kind of distraction to a unicorn while they are performing magic can be dangerous.

"Such nice manners," exclaimed Rarity.

I smiled brightly as we began to visit Twilight to see if she knew anything about my dream and the Element of Happiness. I didn't expect Twilight to know anything on the subject, so my hopes weren't up that high.

The walk seemed to go by quickly, much like how it was yesterday with Applejack (I keep forgetting that full-length distances were never shown on the show). We approached Twilight's home within a matter of minutes and approached the wooden door slowly. Rarity knocked ever so elegantly on the door and then positioned herself back next to me while we waited patiently. Within a few seconds, Twilight opened the door and greeted the two of us.

"Hello there," Twilight told us, high amounts of praise sounding in her voice.

"Hi, Twilight," I replied.

"Good day, Twilight," Rarity added, "May we come in?"

"Of course." Twilight answered, leading us inside. "How are you both doing today?"

"I'm fine, thank you." I replied.

"That's good," smiled Twilight, turning to Rarity, "and how about you, Rarity?"

"I'm well, Twilight," Rarity said, "where is Lunar?"

"Lunar is away in Canterlot taking care of some royal business with Princess Luna." Twilight answered.

"Sounds important," smiled Rarity.

"It probably is," agreed Twilight, beaming her toothy-white smile in the process. "So what brings you both here today?"

"Well," started Rarity, "Robert here had this unusual dream last night and he wanted to find out more about it."

"Really?" Twilight asked, turning her attention towards me. "How weird?"

"Really weird, Twilight," I staggered.

"Care to explain?" Twilight excitedly asked.

"Well," I reiterated, "last night, I dreamt about the Elements of Harmony. However, they were battling a being that I couldn't identify and had defeated you. I was there as well and the being also defeated me. When he came up to me, he pointed towards my blood-spattered body and told me that the Element of Happiness, whom he earlier identified was me, was the weakest Element of them all. After that, I awoke to...well...let's leave it at I woke up."

Rarity glanced over and began to blush a bit. Twilight, however, idolized each word I said as if they came from Princess Celestia or something. After a short while, she sat down on a nearby bench and began to say something.

"I must say," she started, "that is an interesting dream. What really interests me the most is the Element of Happiness. I myself have never heard of such an Element. Perhaps Princess Celestia has. I'll have Spike write a letter to Princess Celestia later, asking if she has any knowledge on that. As for the dream, it is currently very unlikely that somepony could defeat us now. Has it happened in the past before? Of course. Now, though, that is extremely unlikely that such an event will occur."

"Hope you're right, Twilight," I replied.

Was she right? Are the Elements of Harmony unbeatable now? And what about me? Is there such a thing as the Element of Happiness and am I the Element holder? Why would I be the Element holder?

"As a matter of fact," Twilight thought to herself, tapping her hoof against the ground in the process, "I'll have Spike write that letter now."

"Sounds like a good idea, Twilight," I honestly answered.

"Spike," called Twilight, "could you come down here please?"

"In a minute!" returned Spike.

Twilight turned her head back towards Rarity and I and began telling us something else.

"We'll ask Princess Celestia now rather than later on in the day." Twilight told us. "Who knows...she may be available now and may not be later. Plus, the sooner we contact her, the better."

Silence trickled down in the room shortly afterwards – awkward silence. Spike eventually came downstairs and immediately noticed Rarity standing in the room. He ran over and positioned himself right next to Rarity, leaving her standing in the middle between myself and himself.

"You didn't tell me that Rarity was here..." Spike whispered, hearts filling his eyes.

"Thought it would be better if we kept that a surprise, my little Spikey-Wikey." Rarity calmly answered, placing a hoof on top of Spike's head.

"Oh, yeah..." a lovestruck Spike quietly said.

I saw Twilight roll her eyes before dragging a paper and quill over to Spike with her magic.

"Focus, Casanova," Twilight said, "I need you to write an important letter to the Princess."

"I thought the days of reporting your lessons on friendship were over," Spike replied, "why are you still writing to her?"

"It __is __nice to write to see how she is doing, Spike," scolded Twilight, "and this isn't a letter about the lessons on friendship. I need you to write to Princess Celestia regarding important information."

"'Important' information?" questioned Spike, "Like what? You learning how to use your wings?"

Both Rarity and myself couldn't help but chuckle as Spike said that. It was obvious that Twilight had trouble adjusting to her wings and that she chose not to use them often. However, it was a funny joke that Spike told us, even if it ended up with Twilight giving him a cold stare.

"No, Spike," Twilight sarcastically spoke, "Robert here had an unusual nightmare last night about a seventh Element of Harmony, the Element of Happiness, an Element nopony has even heard of. I want to write to Princess Celestia regarding if she knows anything about that."

"Sounds odd," Spike opinionated, "but it's your letter."

"Ready, Spike?" Twilight asked, regarding if he was ready to write the letter.

Spike rose the quill up to the paper, showing Twilight that he was ready to write down the letter.

"Dear Princess Celestia," started Twilight, "my new friend, Robert, a unicorn, recently had a nightmare in which he was presented with a seventh Element of Harmony, to which he was the Element bearer. This seventh Element, the Element of Happiness, is something that I'm not too familiar with or even heard of. Does this particular Element exist and, if so, do you have any background knowledge about the Element of Happiness? Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

"Twi-light...Spar-kle." Spike reiterated. "Got it!"

"Good," praised Twilight, "now send it to her."

"Now, Twilight?" questioned Spike.

"Yes, Spike," Twilight answered, "now."

"It's best that we send it now," Rarity chimed, "for all we know, the Princess could be free at this very moment."

Spike rolled up the scroll and put a seal on it. Opening up a window, he breathed fire on it, and sent the letter on it's merry way up to Canterlot. Twilight glanced back towards both Rarity and myself and assured us that the Princess will reply with an answer immediately.

"You sound so sure of yourself, Twilight," I offered.

"I know that the Princess always takes immediate action when I write something to her," Twilight happily replied, "I am...I mean, I was her star student after all."

Don't we know, right?

"What do you say we pay Pinkie Pie a visit while we wait for a reply from the Princess," offered Twilight.

"Sounds good to me," I answered.

"I suppose it will make the time fly by faster, as it were." Rarity added.

"Yum..." Spike mumbled, licking his lips, "a trip to Sugar Cube Corner? Count me in!"

We all then left the Golden Oaks Library in a jiffy as Twilight showed us outside. When we were all outside, Twilight used her magic to close the door, turning to the rest of us as we began trotting down the road to Sugar Cube Corner.

"I hope they have my favorite there..." Spike fantasized.

"Oh? What's your favorite, Spike?" I asked.

"Sapphire Cupcakes..." Spike said, mouth drooling from his fantasized image.

I looked at Rarity and Twilight as we began to smile and laugh. Along the way to Sugar Cube Corner, Princess Celestia replied to our letter, sending it straight to Twilight, via Spike. Twilight smiled at the presence of a letter, and glanced over towards me.

"I told you that the Princess will take immediate action," Twilight told me.

"I didn't doubt you __that__ much, Twilight," I replied, sticking my tongue out playfully at her.

Spike reached down and picked up the letter, unraveled the scroll, and began to read it aloud to the three of us.

"Dear Twilight," Spike began, "I am flattered that you still consider yourself my faithful student, though as you may as well know, that is not true anymore. Like I told you, you are still my student, just not in the same way anymore. Rather, we are your students now. As for your request about a seventh Element of Harmony, I must admit that this is true; there does exist a seventh Element. It was foretold that the seventh Element bearer will travel to us from another realm. The seventh Element will be the most crucial Element when powerful villains arise and join together. The Elements of Harmony you're familiar with are just six of the seven Elements that exist in our sacred world. As for the location of the Element of Happiness, I do not know that entirely. It is located somewhere within the Everfree Forest, past the location of the original six Elements you originally found. If it isn't too much of a hassle, I would like for you and your friends, Robert included, to visit me in Canterlot as soon as possible. With regards, Princess Celestia."

__What a long letter...__ I thought.

Turning towards Twilight, she had a determined look on her face, telling all of us that we should depart for Canterlot as quickly as possible.

"Based off of what the Princess told us," began Twilight, "the future of Equestria could be at stake here!"

"Is that so?" I questioned.

Twilight nodded, then looked towards Rarity. "Rarity," she began, "can you round up Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy then meet back up near the train station?"

"I shall do just that, Twilight," Rarity obliged, heading out to round up half of the crew.

"Come along, Spike," Twilight called. She then she turned to me. "You too, Robert. The quicker we gather everypony, the quicker we can get to Canterlot."

* * *

"There's the train!" Twilight shouted.

We, and by we I mean Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and myself, had waited for the next train to Canterlot at the Ponyville Train Station for approximately fifteen minutes. The train was just as colorful as it had appeared in the show and the coaches seemed much bigger on the inside than they appeared on the outside.

"Ready to see Canterlot?" Twilight asked me, putting all worries aside for the moment.

"Well," I started, "seeing the capital of Equestria and getting a chance to meet absolute royalty, other than yourself and Prince Lunar, obviously, is a chance that clearly not every...pony gets."

"Not at all," Twilight replied.

I smiled at her answer, turning my head towards the window. The countryside on the outside was simply beautiful beyond words. Well, the only words that came to mind were stunning, colorful, warm, inviting, spectacular.

Back home in the north, the land was only like this during the dead of autumn, where the leaves fell, the temperature was simply perfect, and the crisp, cool mountainside was as colorful as can be. Autumn up in the north, near the Appalachian Mountains, was a beautiful time of the year, one that I'd certainly never forget, but always cherish.

The land passing by outside the train was just that, colorful, beautiful, and inviting. Watching it go by was making me feel like I was calm, in my serenity, in other words. I felt as if I was in my backyard, playing football like we used to do on Thanksgiving each year with my father, cousins, and co-workers (yes, we did occasionally invite co-workers over for Thanksgiving). Each year it would always be my father, two of my cousins, and myself against my other cousin and our co-workers. It would always be close, the game being decided by one or two points, but it definitely was fun and a wonderful experience that I'll always cherish.

"How are you enjoying your new life, Robert?" A curious Pinkie Pie asked.

I turned my attention from the outside world to Pinkie Pie, preparing to answer the intriguing question that she asked.

"It's an experience," I answered back, "I mean, it is truly an...enjoyable time here."

Nobody seemed to catch my sudden pause in between answering Pinkie's question. Nobody, except Twilight, that is.

"Why'd you pause, Robert?" She called out, causing everyone to glue their eyes on me.

I became nervous. I was not one for a speech or an answer, knowing that I was the one and only soul speaking in front of multiple ones. I never felt this way in front of my friends, but since I was still trying to connect with these ponies, a proposition went whizzing by in my head.

I thought that if I lied to them, I would lose the trust that I had built with each and every one of them. However, if I told the truth, then perhaps my new friends would accept me and my answer. Or, it could backfire, and I lose them no matter what. I have never seen the second option shown in the show, so I figured that if I told the truth, they would accept my answer.

"Well?" Twilight asked.

"The reason for the pause was that, looking at the countryside outside," I started, "I began thinking about home, about the time I had spent with my family when they were alive. Taking that in was tough, causing me to pause for a short while, a while that nopony seemed to notice but you, Twilight. I honestly had a hard time taking that in without breaking tears so the pause was the next best thing. I'm sorry if I hurt any of your feelings."

I noticed Twilight was left with an open jaw, either embarrassed or guilty for making me explain myself. After some time, she proceeded to ask me a question.

"Do you want to stay with us?" She asked me.

"I'd love to see home once more, but I can no longer do that since I was killed back home." I answered. "Honestly, I love being here, with all of you. It's just that..."

"...the memories of home make you homesick?" Rarity questioned.

"Just a bit..." I meekly replied, staring back out the window, watching the lovely landscape pass by.

The rest of the car was silent, either because they didn't know what to say next, or because they wanted to appreciate my feelings.

"Back home," I sighed, "when I wasn't alone, I felt on top of the world." I turned my head back at the six welcoming and colorful ponies. "Then it slowly went downhill as, one by one, my family started shrinking in number. I'd rather not discuss how they...moved on, but the number of moves started adding up, last being mine." I looked back out the window. "The only remaining family member that I felt close to is my little sister, Ariana."

"Who's Ariana?" Pinkie Pie asked me.

__I thought I told them about her, ___I thought._

Another item that was processing through my mind was that I was slightly being forced to break the fourth wall, which was something Pinkie Pie knew how to do and (only once) Twilight. If I had to explain who Ariana was, I'd definitely have to explain how she loved each of the ponies and if I did that, one of the six would ask me how Ariana knew who they were and then I'd be forced to explain that this world is a work of fiction, a false world, a created world. They would understand...right?

"Umm...Ariana was my little sister..." I began. I decided to break the fourth wall and explain how this world, Equestria, was a work of fiction. "She loved each of you very much, her favorite being Twilight. When our parents...moved on, I was too depressed and unfit to take care of her, so I had her sent away to my uncle from my father's side of the family, a side I rarely knew or even engaged with."

Twilight offered her condolences as she used her magic to spawn a handkerchief and wipe the tears from my eyes.

"I'm sorry..." was all Twilight told me as the handkerchief spawned away.

"It's okay, Twilight," I replied.

I guess breaking the fourth wall went undetected this time around. I decided that it was best to not play with fire like that again as the train began pulling into the Canterlot Train Station. The train slowly began coming to a halt, releasing steam upon stopping, then opening the doors up.

"Here we are!" Twilight said.

"Canterlot!" Rarity chimed in her English sounding voice.

I stepped out of the coach and glanced around. Canterlot was huge; much bigger than it appeared to be in the show!

"Do you like it, Robert?" Twilight asked, trying to hold back her giggles.

"It's amazing..." I answered in reply.

Looking around at the tall buildings almost felt as if I were back home. Every time we would go to New York City or Boston, the tall buildings always fascinated me beyond belief. I always wanted to live in a place like that but never found the opportunity to do so.

Snapping out of the trance I was in, I closely followed the group of ponies down the road, working our way towards the castle located at the far end of town.

"It's so beautiful," I said, breaking some silence.

"Isn't it?" Rarity added. "I've always dreamed of living here. The glamor, the sophistication! A pony of my standards should live here!"

"It is magical," Twilight spoke, "living here was absolutely amazing. Just being able to see the Princess raise and lower the sun and moon as a filly was amazing. Not only that, but living in the same town as the Princess is truly fantastic."

"Look," exclaimed Pinkie, "up ahead!"

Ahead of us was the astounding Canterlot Castle, home to both Princess Celestia and, my personal favorite, Princess Luna. Twilight looked over towards me and noticed my gleaming eyes as I was admiring the castle from top to bottom.

"So," started Twilight, "are you ready to meet the Princess face-to-face?"

"Absolutely, Twilight." I quickly replied.

Twilight smiled as she led all of us inside the castle. The halls were enormous inside the castle, appearing much bigger than how the outside of the castle portrayed them to be.

We saw plenty of castle guards on the way to the throne room and they all appeared to be very heavily trained and protective of themselves plus their immediate surroundings. A good number of them were Pegasus guards while there were a decent amount of unicorn guards as well.

A few minutes more had passed before we finally arrived at a large, double-wide, heavy looking door, guarded by two unicorns. Twilight approached one of them and started telling him something.

"Princess Celestia has requested the appearance of all of us, sir," she told him.

"Right away, Your Highness," replied the guard, using his magic to open up the doors.

The doors were embraced with a bright white aura, originating from both unicorns, as they slowly opened up the heavy doors. As soon as they were opened fully, we started going inside the room. The throne room was a long, colorful hallway, lined up with plenty of window panes, each of which told a different and unique story. The one window pane that really caught my eye was the one with the Elements of Harmony transformed Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna. For some reason, that pane stuck out more to me than the others, probably because it was the first accomplishment made by Twilight and her friends or maybe because Princess Luna was in it.

Either way, at the end of the throne room stood the two regal sisters, Princess Celestia, whom was positioned on a throne higher than that of her sister, Princess Luna. Also stood inside the throne room, standing next to Princess Luna, was Prince Lunar, who was looking at us, as was the two sisters.

"Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia started, "it's so wonderful to see you. How have things been as of late?"

"Everything is simply wonderful, Princess Celestia," replied Twilight, she looked towards Lunar. "Hello there, Lunar."

"Hello, Twily," Lunar smiled.

"I see you've brought your new friend, Robert, if I remember correctly." continued Celestia.

"That's right, Princess," answered Twilight.

Celestia studied me very carefully, eyeballing me all over my emerald colored body. Finally, she spoke up.

"So you're the Robert I've heard so much about." Princess Celestia told me.

"Umm...th-that's right, Your Highness," I stammered.

Celestia giggled, "Calm down, my little pony," she told me, "there's no reason to be so nervous."

"Sorry..." I meekly replied.

Silence fell over for a short while, only to be broken up by Princess Luna.

"You're the one from the alternate realm then, are you not?" Princess Luna asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

Luna pointed a hoof at me, asking, "Are you the one from the alternate realm, Robert?"

"Umm...I guess so," I answered, "yes."

"Hmm..."

Luna seemed to gaze at me hard, almost as if she didn't trust me at all. I don't blame her, she did have a hard time fitting in with everyone back in Ponyville. Plus, she has been locked away for a thousand years up in the moon. Honestly, I wonder how she took that or even what she did for a thousand years.

"Pardon my younger sister," Celestia said, "she __can__be a bit adamant."

"Very funny, sister," Luna sarcastically spoke.

"It's okay, Princess Luna," Lunar spoke, "you're just being defensive."

"Ponies coming from alternate realms have proven to be distrustful in the past," Luna stated, "you are from an alternate realm. If you wish to get my trust, thou has to earn it."

I stared at Princess Luna, slightly fearful – she was a powerful pony, after all – but slightly amazed at her elegant presence. The others stared at me, then at stared at the two royal sisters. Lunar went over to Twilight and embraced her with a hug, wrapping a wing around her body. A few, short moments later, we had begun discussing the important matters that brought us here in the first place.

"Now," Celestia spoke, "I have some interesting news to tell all seven of you."

"And what might that be, Princess?" asked Twilight.

"The seventh Element of Harmony, the Element of Happiness," continued Celestia, "belongs to Robert."

"What?" I uncomfortably chuckled.

"You, Robert, are the holder of the Element of Happiness." Celestia assured.

"But how can that be?" I asked. "No offense intended Your Highness, but I highly doubt that I am the holder of the Element of Happiness for a couple reasons. First, I just recently came to this world and second, I've never heard of such an Element before."

"Question," Celestia quickly replied, "how would you know if the Element of Happiness existed if you just recently came to our fair world?"

"You'd have no knowledge of what Elements existed in our world prior to coming here," added Luna.

"I thought the same thing while performing my dream walking duties last night, Princess Luna," Lunar added. "You took off the day that featured some of the more interesting details in the dreams of certain ponies, you know?"

"We share that duty, my star student," Luna smiled towards Lunar before staring back at me.

"Well, Robert?" Lunar asked me. "Care to explain yourself?"

"I...uh...you see..."

"Explain yourself, Robert," Luna demanded.

I began panicking on the inside. Everyone's eyes were glued on me as I just stood there, speechless. Luna's horn started glowing in the magnificent indigo aura, signaling her tracing her ability to use her magic, I guess as a way of threatening me what could happen if I chose not to answer.

I gulped, "I...uh..."

Luna and Celestia glanced heavily at me, as did Lunar and the Elements of Harmony...my new friends...

"Go on," Celestia requested.

"Explain yourself," Luna added.

"The reason I know much about what Elements existed," I sighed, "is because...because..."

"Because what?" snapped Luna.

"Because..." I sighed once more, "in...my world," I paused as I glanced over at my new friends. I felt a tear begin to escape from my eye and run down the side of my face as I finished answering the question that was forced upon me.

"Yes?" Luna impatiently asked.

"In my world," I continued, "you all are a work of fiction..."

There was an unbearable and extremely uncomfortable silence that followed after I said that, almost like they were all heartbroken. Some time later, Celestia quietly proceeded by asking me yet another question.

"What do you mean?" She glumly asked.

"Back home," I slowly replied, "this world is the setting of a television show meant for little girls. However, the show attracted both little children and young adults, mainly for the colorful attractions that exist in this world, or perhaps the strong plots each episode had. Either way, I had a younger sister back home that loved watching you work out your problems and find lessons pertaining to friendship. The only reason I know so much about this world is because my younger sister, Ariana, loved watching it with me. So, in essence, I know how Twilight became an alicorn, how she used to be your star student, Princess, how she traveled to an alternate version of my world to retrieve her crown that one of your former students, Sunset Shimmer, stole, and then some. I know how the Elements of Harmony were founded, how Twilight retrieved the Elements, which Element belongs to which pony, what each pony does around town...putting it in perspective, Your Highness, I know an awful lot about this world since you, Equestria, every...pony was astonishingly popular back home. People back home often write interesting stories, called fan fictions, involving this world, or any world in particular, myself included. I'm sorry if this is a lot to take in, Your Highness, my friends, everypony. This is the one de...er, speech, I wished I hadn't spoken..."

Everyone looked stunned as I skimmed my view around the room. Honestly, breaking the fourth wall, and to the extent that I went and broke it, was harsh and a horrific event that shouldn't have occurred. I wouldn't be at all surprised if my friends felt betrayed and never wanted to speak to me again. It was a lot to take in and a lot for me to offer. I turned around and slowly began walking out of the room, with my head hanging down as low as it would go.

"Wait!" Twilight called, voice echoing along the walls of the large throne room.

I turned my lowly head around and noticed Twilight approaching me, closely followed by the other five ponies, as well as the two princesses and Lunar.

"Where are you going?" continued Twilight.

"Well...aren't you all mad at me for keeping that information from you?" I quietly asked.

"Of course not, Robert," Celestia answered.

"It doesn't matter if we are fictional or not," Pinkie added.

"All that matters is that we ourselves are as happy as we can be, darling." chimed Rarity.

"So...you're not disappointed or angry with me, then?" I asked.

"Of course not, Robert," answered Twilight.

"Right, y'all have gone through a lot recently." Applejack added.

"Yeah," Rainbow responded, "as long as we're happy, then-"

"Then we are real." Luna interrupted.

Tears started falling out of my eyes more rapidly now, knowing that, despite breaking the fourth wall horrendously, my friends still decided to stand with me by my side.

"You are the greatest friends a pony could've asked for." I happily spoke through my tears.

"As are you, Robert." Twilight replied.

We engaged each other in a group hug with myself being wrapped up in the middle. After a short while, Celestia got right back down to business, proceeding with what she needed to tell us almost as if I had never broke the fourth wall.

"Twilight," Celestia started, "I need you to go find the Element of Happiness. It is imperative that you find it quickly since a prophesy foretold us that a powerful villain will rise up and can only be defeated if and when the seventh Element of Harmony is present."

"Go, Twilight Sparkle," Luna told Twilight, "retrieve the Element of Happiness. The future of Equestria is in your hooves now."

"We'll find it as quick as possible, Princess." Twilight assured. She turned back around and faced the all of us, "Let's go!"

"Be careful Twilight." Lunar told her. He then turned to Luna. "Unless my time here is done and I can aid them."

"You may accompany them, Prince Lunar," Luna addressed. She then whispered something I was unable to hear to him.

With Twilight leading the way and Lunar accompanying us now, we rushed out of the throne room as fast as our hooves could carry us, proceeding back to the Canterlot Train Station so that we could travel back to Ponyville to search for my Element of Harmony, the Element of Happiness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"Do you have any idea what it looks like, Twilight?" A curious Pinkie Pie asked.

"Honestly," began Twilight, "when we found the Elements of Harmony – our Elements – they were just stones. Perhaps the Element of Happiness is the same, simply a stone."

"Then how do we get the actual Element, Twilight?" I asked.

"What do you mean, Robert?" Lunar questioned.

"It is true that when the Elements of Harmony were found originally, they were just mere stone carvings," I replied, "however, actual Elements fully appeared after the stones were shattered by Nightmare Moon."

"You're right, Robert," Twilight pointed out, "our Elements appeared after Nightmare Moon shattered the stone carvings of the Elements, but that was simply the other five Elements. Mine appeared out of thin air after I felt a spark that ignited inside of me after I felt happy to see all of my friends, to know that they cared for me, that they helped me out in one of my times of need. I felt happy to see them and was proud to know that they were my friends, thus summoning my Element of Magic. Perhaps when we find your Element, it'll react in the same way."

"That could be a possibility..." I said, rubbing my chin with my hoof.

"Any possibility is better than no possibility, darling," Rarity inserted.

"Right," Twilight agreed as the train we were waiting for started approaching the station.

The train came to a complete stop, slowing down fairly nicely and comfortably for the passengers on board. When the doors to the coaches opened up, the eight of us calmly boarded the train and proceeded to a section of seats that were left untouched and separated from the rest of the car.

"All aboard!" The conductor yelled, closely followed by the train's whistle blowing.

Steam from the train was let off before the train began moving once more. As the train's engine started and the train began moving, Twilight turned to the rest of us and began planning just how we may find the Element of Happiness.

"Once we arrive back in Ponyville," she began, "we'll quickly head straight towards the Everfree Forest."

"Th-the Ever f-f-free F-Forest?" squeaked Fluttershy.

"Yes," Twilight assured, "the Everfree Forest. I know it isn't the best place Fluttershy, but we have to go into the forest to find the Element of Happiness."

Fluttershy replied with silence, cowering up behind my back. I smiled as I began stroking her mane with my hoof gently.

"There, there, Fluttershy," I said, "we'll find it quickly and be out of the forest in no time."

Fluttershy squeaked something else, though I couldn't tell what she said as Twilight continued on with her plan for retrieving the Element of Happiness.

"Once we're inside the Forest, we'll immediately make our way towards the old castle where we found our Elements before." Twilight continued. "Princess Celestia did tell us that the Element of Happiness was located further than where our Elements were, so we'll search every possible location for the Element. We'll search every nook and every cranny for this Element if it means that it will help save Equestria from certain doom."

"Hey, Twi," Applejack started, "Ah've been thinkin', woul'n't it be better if we had our Elements with us while we search for the Element of Happiness?"

"Hmm..." Twilight thought.

"Cause maybe, just maybe, our Elements could help us find this new Element," finished Applejack.

"She may be on to something, Twilight," Rainbow Dash chimed.

"Perhaps," Twilight replied, "I mean, our Elements could know the location of the Element of Happiness, but still," Twilight paused for a second.

"Think of it like this, Twilight," Rarity said, "if we were to have our Elements, we would be able to defend ourselves from whatever looms inside the forest. Plus, once we find Robert's Element of Happiness, we could see if it is functional with our Elements."

"I guess you have a point." Twilight responded. "So it's settled then. We'll grab our Elements before we head out into the Everfree Forest."

"You all go on to the Everfree Forest," Lunar told them, "I'll grab your Elements and meet you there."

"You know where they are, right Lunar?" Twilight asked.

"I know where they are, Twily." Lunar smiled, nuzzling Twilight's muzzle, causing her to giggle.

Shortly thereafter, Twilight turned to the rest of us and asked us if we understood the plan. Everyone nodded and agreed on the plan as we waited to arrive in Ponyville. The rest of the train ride was quiet, for the most part. The chugs of the train along with the occasional whistle were really the only sounds that we heard. About ten minutes had passed before we had arrived back at the Ponyville Train Station. Once the train came to a complete stop and the doors opened up, Twilight led all of us out of the train. Standing on the platform of the station, Twilight smiled at Lunar, who smiled in response, leaving us to go collect the Elements of Harmony while Twilight took us to the Everfree Forest.

The stroll towards the outskirts of the Everfree Forest wasn't too long, ironically. We had arrived there shortly and stood before the dark and fearful forest. On the show, the darkness was portrayed by a darker shade of the same colors being used. In actuality, the Everfree Forest was as dark as the night itself, something I'm sure Princess Luna would love.

Shortly after arriving to the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, Lunar showed up with all six Elements. He hovered them over to each of the ponies that owned the respective Element. Finishing off by hovering Twilight's crown onto her head, Lunar smiled and greeted us all once more.

"Thank you, Luny," Twilight told him.

"Anything for you, Your Highness," Lunar answered in response, causing Twilight to utter a chuckle. She turned to the rest of us.

"Are you all ready to go into the forest?" Twilight asked us all.

"Ready!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack replied at the same time.

"I'm ready as well." Rarity added.

"As am I." I chimed.

"I'm super-duper ready!" Pinkie Pie enthusiastically said.

"R-R-Ready..." Fluttershy quietly squeaked.

"Then let's go!" Twilight concluded, turning to Lunar and leading the way into the dark and mysterious Everfree Forest.

Honestly, I'm quite humble to this type of surrounding. After all, I am quite fond of independence itself, you know. This...this was the equivalent of being back home, to a certain extent, that is. I made sure to cover my serenity fairly nicely, though I believe Twilight caught a glimpse of it for just a split second...a split second too long.

I glanced at the other ponies, who were all still wearing their Elements of Harmony. I knew that much since the light that both Twilight and Lunar were supplying from their horns with their magic was reflecting off of each of the Elements. Seeing the Elements was truly an amazing moment of my...well...life, I guess, though I did die.

Suddenly, as we were walking along the supremely eerie dirt path, we all heard something break and snap behind us, immediately causing Fluttershy to jump and run towards one of us for safety, this time being Twilight's turn to provide it. Immediately confronting the noise, Rainbow Dash shouted out into the dark and gloomy forest, demanding whatever it was that made that sound come out and show themselves.

"I mean it!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Come out and show yourself!"

Silence...eerie, eerie silence...

"I'm warning you!" continued Rainbow Dash.

More silence...

"Rainbow, hold on," Twilight called as she saw Rainbow Dash begin to rush into the darkness.

"Twilight," called Lunar, "allow me to do it."

"It's okay, Lunar," Twilight called back, "I think I found something."

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, but Twilight ignored the dissatisfied sigh and approached the darkness further. The light originating from her horn lit the surrounding area further, showing a bush that was sitting in the middle of the dirt path we were walking on; a bush that originally was not there.

Rainbow Dash jetted into the bush and blew all the leaves that were on said bush away, revealing absolutely nothing. We were all confused, knowing that this bush was not there when we passed by the area moments ago, wondering how it got here and wondering who or what was following us.

"It's nothing..." Twilight confirmed.

"Whoever put that there must've gotten away..." Rainbow Dash glumly added.

"Come on, y'all," Applejack chimed, "let's keep movin'."

"Right." agreed Twilight, pulling herself back around and leading the group deeper into the forest alongside Lunar.

I stood behind a bit longer, staring mindlessly at the severed and destroyed bush. Someone else was here with us, and they couldn't have gotten far without making some more sound. I looked back at the group and noticed that they had moved up pretty far without me. Fortunately for me, I was a unicorn and could use the magic I had to create a light similar to the one Twilight and Lunar were both making, only mine was green compared to their magenta color and white color respectively. I rushed back to the end of the group as quickly as I could, reaching them in no time. As I got closer, I relinquished the light I was providing, so that no one would be startled should they have spotted a glowing green light.

"...then maybe the Element will be there." I heard Twilight say.

__What? __I thought, a bit confused.

"That sounds like a good possibility, Twilight," Rarity replied.

"Yeah," Rainbow added, "if the Element is there, then our search will go twice as fast, which means I could squeeze in an afternoon nap after this is over."

__They're talking about my Element and the possible location of it...__ I concluded. __But where did they say we should check?__

I decided to cease my thoughts on my Element and continued walking down the path. About a couple minutes have passed before I started hearing some sinister laughter, the kind of laughter a villain would own. Startled (which was something I rarely ever was), I turned around as fast as the bullet that penetrated through my head before I died. I scanned the area fast, searching for any slight movement past the strange breeze I started feeling...but...it there wasn't a breeze a moment ago.

"Girls, Lunar," I called out, "hold up for just a moment." The sound of hooves making contact with the ground slowly started coming to a halt.

"What's the matter, Robert?" Twilight asked.

"Shh!" I hissed. "Someone is following us..."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, a bit quieter than her last question. She stepped up next to me and shone her light brighter.

"Someone is out there in the forest following us..." I reiterated.

A thought came rushing through my mind as I scanned the area quickly once more. I thought that Twilight should slowly fade the light on her horn, creating the illusion that we were proceeding down the path as if we heard nothing. I thought that for a split second then decided to share it with Twilight.

"Can you slowly fade out the light coming from your horn?" I quietly requested. "You too, Lunar?"

"Why?" They both asked.

"It'll create the illusion that we are farther down in the path." I replied. "Once thirty seconds or so have passed, could you completely cease your light?"

"If you say so, Robert," obliged Twilight.

"Only for now," added Lunar.

A second thought came whizzing by in my head. This thought was about Fluttershy and how startled she would become once the light was fully dissipated. Deriving a plan to step around that, I approached Fluttershy and started comforting her a bit.

"Listen, Fluttershy," I quietly started, "Twilight and Lunar are going to stop providing the light for a short while. I need you to be brave here, Fluttershy. For the sake of finding the Element, I need you to not make any kind of sound when the light disappears. Can you do that for me?"

"I-I'll do my best..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"Could you help her, Rainbow Dash?" I requested.

"Sure thing, Rob," Rainbow agreed, stepping up next to Fluttershy to comfort her.

I smiled, then approached Twilight once more. I figured that it was best if Twilight and Lunar started fading the lights out now, as I provided the illusion of hooves trotting down the road, slowly getting quieter as the light faded even more. Once the light was gone, I ceased my sound and we all stood in the dark, horrifying forest on the dirt path. For our purposes, two things rushed through my head. The first being how well Fluttershy was handling being here in the dark, not making any sort of sounds. The second item that rushed through my head was where this creature that was following us was.

I scanned the area thoroughly, searching for the slightest movement, past the unusual breeze we were feeling. I scanned the area from the dirt path that we traveled on, to the trees, from the trunks of the trees, to the tops of them, looking for anything that was being forcefully moved.

I was prepared for pretty much anything, waiting for my prey to foolishly reveal itself to us. If there was one thing I was good at, besides playing my guitar, it was sensing and locating my prey in the wilderness. Back home, you had to be skillful at hunting animals. Certain times, especially during the end of October into the beginning of November, it was the only source of food since the nearest supermarket always ran out of food during this time of year. Funny, really...I always thought it would be the week before Thanksgiving that this would happen, not the end of October.

Either way, I squinted my eyes at a tree when I heard some shuffling and rustling of leaves coming from a tree above us. I saw a little creature up inside the tree, trying desperately to hide itself, managing to do so, for the most part. What gave the little creature away was that they failed to cover up one of their dark, maroon colored hooves.

Sidetracking a bit here, first off, if you're in pursuit or stalking a group of ponies – or anybody for any reason (no matter how strange) – at least make sure you successfully hide yourself, first. Second, if you are going to hide yourself, make sure you hide yourself utilizing colors that are relatively close to you, not the complete opposite. Lastly, and this is the most important item I learned from hunting (NOT stalking), NEVER reveal yourself. Once you reveal yourself, you are screwed.

Getting back on track here, I used my magic and forcefully pulled down the creature that was "hiding" up in the tree. Twilight lit up her horn once more, and it was revealed that this creature was a younger version of a pony, a filly, to be more exact. Twilight approached the maroon colored filly and asked what they were doing all the way out here. The little filly stood silent.

"You know, my little pony," restarted Twilight, "you really should answer a question coming from somepony of royalty. I'll ask you once more: what are you doing all the way out here by yourself?"

Once more, the little filly stood silent. I saw Lunar confronting the younger pony and demand that she answer if she didn't want...well, let's just leave it at she would've left the forest looking a bit more bluer than red. Still, they refused to answer the question. Instead, they pointed a hoof in the air, pointing to something behind us, which caused us all to turn around and search for what it was they were pointing at.

Honestly, one of us should've paid close attention to the little filly because, when we turned back around, she was gone. Putting that odd event behind us, we continued in our pursuit to find my Element of Harmony, the Element of Happiness.

After a while of more walking and more eerie silence, we saw a dim light up ahead and a little to the left. I figured that we must be close to a structure, perhaps even the Element itself.

"Look," exclaimed Pinkie, "up ahead!"

She pointed a hoof towards the structure as we got closer. The light was fairly dim, reminiscent of trying to see something in the dead of night. As we got closer, I confirmed that this structure was not the same as the structure Twilight and the others originally went in to retrieve the Elements of Harmony, so perhaps this was the location of my Element.

"Come on," Twilight said, "let's go inside."

Everyone bravely stepped inside the crumbling, stone structure, with the exception of Fluttershy, who cowardly stepped inside. As we proceeded down one of the destroyed hallways, the light we saw earlier had started growing brighter and brighter and brighter until we were finally met face to face with the originating source.

"There it is..." Rarity exclaimed.

"The Element of Happiness!" Twilight shouted.

"Ooooh..." admired Pinkie and Fluttershy.

"Meh...I've seen better..." Rainbow scoffed, causing Applejack to roll her eyes.

"So..." Twilight told me.

"So what?" I replied, still admiring the stone that contained my Element of Harmony.

Twilight giggled at my reply. "Go on...go get your Element of Harmony."

"The quicker you do this," added Lunar, "the quicker we can leave this...place."

"Oh..."

I slowly approached the bright, round stone and was sure to be extra careful when I grabbed it. Meeting it face-to-face, I used my magic to carefully take off the stone and place it gently on the ground. As I did that, the others gathered around the stone, creating almost a perfect circle around the stone.

"If we use our Elements of Harmony on this stone," Twilight started, "perhaps the Element of Happiness will reveal itself to us."

A charade of agreements closely followed Twilight's idea and so they began to charge up their Elements. Seeing this up close and personal was amazing since the details that were never captured on the show were showing themselves here to me. For one, I got to see how each Element activated truthfully and actually. As each Element successfully charged up, Twilight charged up her crown's Element. After a while, an extremely bright and colorful rainbow shot out from the six of them. The rainbow started spiraling, resembling the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), then bent over and pelted the stone on the ground. The stone took in the power from the Elements of Harmony and shot it straight back out in all directions, ceasing the power coming from the other six Elements and causing the ponies to collapse on the ground from exhaustion. Lunar ran over to check up on Twilight, although my eyes were locked on to the Element stone.

After a while, the Element stone began glowing, brighter than before. It then started levitating in the air and made its way over towards where I was. It broke off into seven different pieces and the pieces started wrapping themselves around me, ultimately combining itself with my body and forming the seventh Element of Harmony, the Element of Happiness, to appear.

The seventh Element, just like the other five (not including Twilight's crown), was a necklace that was in the shape of a happy face (I know, really original and creative [insert sarcasm here...again]). It was an emerald color, almost matching my coat color and started pulling me into the air.

In the air, the Element of Happiness released some power and pelted the six collapsed ponies and even Lunar. I tried my best to stop the power, since it appeared to be hurting Twilight and the others, but I had no control over it.

The Element of Happiness was attempting to destroy the other six Elements of Harmony. It's almost as if this Element was trying to get rid of the other Elements.

"Stop this right now!" Lunar snapped at me.

"I'm trying!" I yelled back, trying to tame this rouge Element.

Finding enough strength to do so, I used both of my front hooves to tear off the Element of Happiness from around my neck and threw it straight to the ground. Honestly, it wasn't my best choice, seeing how it caused me to collapse to the ground, but it did stop the onslaught of the original Elements of Harmony.

Looking around, each pony had begun coughing, probably either as a result from the Element of Happiness and it's rouge behavior, or possibly the dust that was around us. I saw Pinkie Pie stand back up first, slowly followed by Rainbow Dash. Lunar helped Twilight up, whom was the very last pony to stand back up.

__Is it me, __I thought to myself, __or do they look a tad different?__

I noticed a few changes in these ponies and their features, compared to a couple minutes ago. First and foremost, the major minor feature (kind of an oxymoron listed, major minor) that was different was the fact that each of the ponies were brightly colored. Sure, they were already brightly colored, but now, they were like how a neon color stands out compared to regular colors. Second, each of them had appeared to grow slightly, matching my height, with the exception of Pinkie, who was slightly shorter than the rest of us. However, even with their increased height, we were all still slightly shorter than Prince Lunar. Lastly, and this only appeared on Twilight, I noticed an extra streak of rose color in Twilight's mane (in other words, instead of the one strand of hair being a rose color, there were now two). I wasn't really sure what the two rose strands did differently, I just happened to notice that.

"Are you all fine?" I asked, reverting my attention back from minor details to their health.

"Fine?" Pinkie quickly questioned.

"Ah feel better than fine," added Applejack.

"I feel totally awesome!" Rainbow told me.

"Don't you normally feel awesome, Rainbow Dash?" Lunar asked, chuckling as well.

"Yeah," continued Rainbow, "but now I feel at least 20% cooler!"

"To each their own, I guess." I replied.

Twilight and Rarity were the last two ponies to answer, minus Fluttershy, who appeared to look fine. Both Twilight and Rarity claimed to have felt a bit more stronger now compared to approximately five minutes ago.

"What happened?" asked Twilight.

"Well," I began, "the Element of Happiness went rouge, appearing to damage each and every one of you. However, that clearly can't be the case since you all appear to look stronger now then a few moments ago."

"So where's the Element, Robert?" Pinkie asked me.

I pointed towards the Element that I threw towards the ground so that the attack on the other Elements would cease. Twilight tilted her head a bit, a tad confused as to why the Element was on the ground. When she asked why it was on the ground, I began to answer her back, only to be interrupted by a sound coming from the destroyed hallway we were in a short while ago.

Instinctively, I spun around as fast as a jet speeds through the air. I calmly raised my ears to see if I could pick up on any other sounds coming from the hallway, mainly foot...I mean, hoofsteps. Fortunately, everyone had remained silent as I tried to listen in on them.

I heard a "_CLANG!_" coming from the hallway, probably the result of something either tipping over or something bumping into something else; the hallway was dark, after all.

After a short while of horrible, mind numbing silence, I began to hear more hoofsteps coming from the hallway, and they sounded as if they were nearing our location. Turning back around, Lunar and myself recommended that everyone look for a position to hide themselves while we stood in the center of the room.

Following our instructions, everyone hid themselves as Lunar used his magic to quietly shoot the source of light and darken the room entirely. The hoofsteps were fairly close by now as Lunar and myself stood in the center of the chamber that once held my Element of Happiness, watching only the entrance for any slight movement.

Squinting my eyes, I poured all my attention out onto the entrance, waiting for whatever was in the hallway to come in and reveal itself, that way, I could take it down.

__Come on...__I began telling myself. __Show yourself!__

Honestly, when you hunt, especially up in the north at around this time of year, you become open to anything and everything. It's almost as if you are one with nature, allowing it to tell you everything about everything, developing extra senses, such as alertness and night vision.

Moments later, as if on cue, I noticed a dark black figure that walked into the chamber the rest of us were in. Fortunately for me, the figure couldn't recognize me or spot me in this pitch black room, making it easier for me to capture my prey.

As they neared me, the Emerald aura of my magic surrounded my horn, trapping and capturing the figure that was following us in their tracks. I saw a purple aura, a white aura, and a blue aura light up the room and finally reveal who exactly was following us. Honestly, what was following us was shocking, to say the least.

"You again?" I heard Rainbow Dash say.

The little being I had caught with my magic was the same maroon colored filly from before. Now trapped, she had nowhere to go until she had answered our questions.

Just like before, Twilight stepped forward and asked the filly what she was doing out here all by herself. Instead of silence, however, she answered this time.

She answered sinisterly, if I may quickly add.

"He's coming for you..." answered the filly before disappearing into thin air.

That last part frightened all of us, especially Fluttershy. What stood on my mind, though, was what the filly told us...

Who was "he?" Should we be afraid?

"Uhh...anypony else worried 'bout what that lil filly just said?" Applejack asked.

Applejack, who was closest to the filly that vanished (with the exception of me), quickly looked behind her and asked us all that, getting a few slow nods in reply from Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Myself, Twilight, Lunar, and Rainbow Dash tried to cover up our worries. I'd say that I did that very well.

Anyway, a few moments passed by and when a slight breeze started making its presence known, that was when we decided to grab my Element and leave this compound as quickly as possible.

The hallways were as dark as the night itself, possibly even darker. Not even the light coming from all four of our horns could fill up this hall with enough significant light. However, we did manage to navigate our way outside the crumbling structure, just in the nick of time, too.

Why did I say that, you ask? Well, once I exited the structure (I was the last pony in the group if I failed to tell you that information), the entire compound collapsed on itself, creating a cloud of dust that filled the surrounding air. I honestly felt my heart jump out of my body as the structure collapsed however, it felt as if the structure was meant to collapse, claiming whoever was still inside of it. Don't get me wrong, it was a crumbling structure, but it wasn't at the point of collapse just yet. Someone made this structure collapse, trying to stop us from returning with my Element of Harmony, but that was just a hunch.

"Anyone else find it a tad strange that the structure collapsed just as we exited it?" I calmly asked the others.

"I must admit," began Rarity, "it was a bit strange."

"But that structure was on the brink of collapsing," Twilight added, "that was bound to happen at any time."

I let that slide for now as we began to head back towards Ponyville. The journey was oddly quicker leaving the Everfree Forest than pursuing into it. We found ourselves at the edge of the forest within a half hour and immediately proceeded back towards the Ponyville Train Station. Princess Celestia made a special request to see the Element once we have retrieved it, so that's what we were going to do.

The train had arrived a bit later than usual, but that didn't bother anyone, not even Rainbow Dash, believe it or not, who hates waiting just as much as the next person...or pony, in this case. Once the train had completely stopped, we boarded on the train, setting ourselves down in a place similar to the last time, at the last row of seats in the car, separate from everyone else.

This train ride went by awfully quicker than last time, most likely since we had engaged in conversation the entire way through, having an extremely hard time keeping quiet. The one and only conversation we managed to have was about my Element of Harmony, not that that surprised me or anything.

I won't go into the full detailing of my Element of Harmony once more. By now, you know what it looks like, what color it is, where we found it, how it activates, and what it almost did to my new friends. Getting back on track here, though, the train had arrived at the Canterlot Train Station within a couple of minutes. We hopped off the train and onto the platform, immediately heading over towards the Canterlot Castle to show Princess Celestia the Element of Happiness and tell her about our journey, mainly what had happened and (most likely) about the filly who had followed us and warned us about "him."

The Canterlot Castle was truly magnificent. The castle was as bright and colorful as ever, oddly reminding me of the Crystal Castle since the light shined off it so elegantly. We headed into the castle and were immediately escorted by two royal guards, a unicorn and a Pegasus, to the large, majestic throne room. The escort was fairly quick, as we found ourselves in front of the large, double-wide throne room doors again. The unicorn guard used his magic to open the doors again and revealed to us the throne room yet again..

Inside was both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both sitting atop their thrones. Below them, I could see that they were accompanied by another pony, an alicorn more specifically, and a pink colored one to be a little more specific. Something about this alicorn seemed familiar, though I couldn't really remember who exactly they were.

Sidetracking a bit here, I have had the worst time remembering things while I have been here. That's beginning to bother me a bit, no lie.

Getting back on track here, the seven ponies I was with seemed to know who exactly this alicorn was, especially Twilight, who had immediately ran over to greet them.

"Cadance!" shouted Twilight, causing the new alicorn to spin around.

"Twilight!" They responded, meeting Twilight halfway to hug her.

I paid my attention over from the two alicorns hugging to Princess Celestia, who had been eagerly awaiting our return. I showed her the Element of Happiness as the rest of us approached her throne.

"We have successfully retrieved the Element of Happiness, Your Highness!" I proudly announced.

"Excellent work, Robert," praised Celestia.

"Did you have any hardships tracking it and retrieving it?" asked Luna.

"Just a little bump in the road, Princess Luna," I replied, "no biggie."

"'No biggie?'" Luna responded.

"Right," I said, "meaning not a big problem."

"Please," continued Celestia, "would you care to explain?"

"Absolutely, Your Highness," I happily obliged, proceeding to tell her what had happened in entirety.

I took note to make sure to not leave out any details while telling the story and if I did, which did happen a bit more often than I would've hoped for, the five other ponies, minus Twilight, who was having her own conversation with the other alicorn in the room, made sure to cover up for me. This was a story that was meant to have every detail shared, and that's just what we made sure happened.

Upon completing the story, Celestia quickly asked us to repeat one item that seemed to stick out the most to her.

"Tell me," she began, "did you say that a little maroon colored filly had followed you to the chamber for the Element of Happiness?"

"Yes, Princess," I confirmed, "why do you ask?"

"I believe I may know a little bit more about that filly, my little ponies," replied Celestia.

"What do you mean when you say you may know more about this filly that followed us into the forest, Princess?" A concerned Twilight asked, immediately dropping the conversation she was having with the new alicorn whom I couldn't recall their name.

"That filly has been known to show herself whenever something horrible is about to occur," Celestia sighed.

"Are you talking about Autumnal Array?" The new alicorn asked.

"Precisely, Princess Cadance." replied Celestia.

"However, her name doesn't match her style," Luna added.

"What do you mean?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Array means an ordered arrangement," I answered, "the autumnal part just means something of the fall season."

"Right," chimed Twilight, "and if she always shows herself when something horrible happens, her name would more likely imply the exact opposite. Meaning, instead of array, her name should be Disarray."

"What's disarray mean then?" Pinkie asked again.

"Disarray means disorganization or untidiness," Lunar answered the curious pink earth pony.

"Sounds like something Discord would enjoy!" implied Rainbow Dash.

She was into something, believe it or not. It was true that Discord was reformed, I remember that much. He was reformed by Fluttershy after she had showed him a high amount of kindness and friendship. However, nobody has seen or even heard from him since we got here. If there was some way we could link Autumnal Array with Discord, then perhaps we have the villain I'm supposed to stop. Then again, if it were Discord I had to stop, why would my Element of Happiness be necessary here? He was defeated by the other six using their Elements; mine wasn't needed to defeat him, Nightmare Moon, or anyone else for that fact.

Then again, the Elements were only used against Discord and Nightmare Moon. They were never used against King Sombra or Queen Chrysalis. They were defeated using other means, and by other means, I mean someone else.

If I can recall correctly, King Sombra was defeated by the love and harmony of the crystal ponies while Queen Chrysalis was defeated by the love between Twilight's older brother - umm...Shining Armor, I think his name was - and Princess Cadance, whom I had finally recognized was standing in front of me...chalk that one up for a failure to notice something so obvious...it isn't every day you get to meet the Princess of Love.

Either way, what if it was one of them who was making an appearance? Queen Chrysalis was one to tremble before since she herself defeated Princess Celestia, who was considered to be a powerful goddess since she alone could raise and lower the sun and moon with ease. Or even King Sombra...what if it was him? He did make a quick reappearance in the Crystal Empire, I remember that, but his poor decision making and horrible timing was what defeated him in actuality when you stop and really think about it. Plus, to top that all off, he does contain some dreadful magic, as did Queen Chrysalis. What if it's both of them who are coming?

That last thought really had me trembling with fear as I started shaking furiously. If both of them were to arrive once more, how would we confront them? And by "we," I mean the Elements of Harmony, myself included.

I had stopped paying attention to everyone around me until I noticed that all eyes were on me and I was the center of attention now. I started blushing a bit, making my emerald cheeks turn a slightly pale pink color, unaware of what was going on at the current moment. It wasn't until Twilight helped fill me in that I began to continue.

"Well, Robert?" Twilight told me. "Who do you think is connected with Autumnal Array?"

Honestly, if I were to take a wild guess, that's probably one of the later items I would have guessed. For some odd reason, I would've guessed, "So how are you enjoying this fair world" first.

"Umm..." I began after some awkward silence, "I think that either Queen Chrysalis or King Sombra is linked to Autumnal Array."

"Why's that?" asked Celestia.

"Well, uh..." I started, "it seems to make the most sense to me, Your Highness."

"Well I'll give you that," Luna told me, "that does sound like a logical hypothesis, Robert."

Was I just complimented by Luna herself on my preposterous guess? Whatever! I'll take that any day!

Ahem...getting back to professionalism now, the lights to the throne room we had been inside had suddenly gone off and the sun had started setting at the same time. I couldn't place my...hoof on why the lights went out, but I safely assumed that Celestia and Luna were lowering the sun and raising the moon like they do each and every day.

I assumed that until they assured us all that this was not their doings.

"We're not doing that, everypony," Celestia calmly assured, though hints of frightfulness could be traced in the sound of her voice and by how she told us that.

"Then...who is?" Applejack quickly responded.

Suddenly, without any warning, the large, double-wide doors leading from inside the throne room out into the hallway had bursted open. Standing there looking at us all was Autumnal Array (which, truth be told, was not a big shocker to me).

She had started entering the throne room after two large pony shaped figures had collapsed on the ground behind her. My bet was that those two were the guards that were guarding the throne room and that by some magical reason, Autumnal Array had overpowered them. How? I wasn't too sure.

Autumnal Array had approached me slowly and motioned for me to lower my head towards her mouth. I did so and she began to whisper something to me.

"Told you he'd be coming..." She softly spoke.

After that, I pulled my head away fairly quickly to notice Autumnal array fade into the air, almost like she herself was simply a mirage. I turned around to notice that everyone else was just as surprised as I was, though they couldn't tell what Autumnal Array had told me.

"What's going on?" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Who's there!?" I demanded to know.

"_Yesss._" A sinister voice said.

__That voice... __I thought, __it sounds a bit too familiar...__

"Show yourself!" Demanded Rainbow Dash.

"_Yesss_." The voice repeated.

"That voice..." Luna started.

"It sounds familiar..." added Celestia.

"A bit too familiar if you ask me." Princess Cadance included.

"Is that who I think it is?" Lunar asked nobody in particular.

__I sure as hell hope that we aren't thinking of the same pony, Prince. ___I told myself._

"_Yesss, yesss, yesss!_"

Suddenly, a swirling cloud of dust had revealed itself to all of us and appeared to grow larger. It hovered from its original spot over towards Princess Celestia's throne, setting itself on top of it.

"No..." I said out loud, "it can't be..."

Twilight must've heard me since she assured me that it was indeed who I was thinking of.

"It is, Robert," she said, "King Sombra has returned!"

King Sombra reappeared fully atop Princess Celestia's throne, forcing her off and forcing her, as well as Princess Luna and Princess Cadance, to take defensive actions. Princess Celestia stood in the center of our group and stared down King Sombra in his dark, evil eyes.

"Why are you here, King Sombra?" Celestia demanded.

"My previous attempt at taking over the Crystal Empire has ended in failure." Sombra started. "So I figured, why not try for a bigger empire - namely, Canterlot! There is no Crystal Heart that can defeat me here! Now, bow down to your King!"

"There may not be a Crystal Heart here, King Sombra," Princess Cadance said in reply, "but I'm here!"

"And what are you gonna do, hmm?" Sombra challenged.

"Use the power of love and harmony to defeat you!" Cadance assured, using her magic to summon some of that love and harmony.

"You are weak compared to me, Princess," Sombra snickered, "allow me to show you what true power feels like!"

King Sombra charged his dark magic and attacked Cadance with it, sending her in a terrifying trance.

"Wha-what?" Cadance started, unaware of what happened.

"What did you do to her, Sombra?" Celestia demanded.

"Bring Princess Cadance back to us!" added Luna.

"It's too late for her!" Sombra replied.

"No!" shouted Cadance. "Please...don't leave me Shining Armor..."

"She's seeing her worst fears now!" Rarity stated.

"Shining Armor leaving her is her worst fear..." a lowly Twilight added.

"That would never happen!" Celestia shouted.

"But it is a vital possibility, Celestia!" Sombra responded.

"Cadance," Twilight shouted, "snap out if it! Cadance!"

Princess Cadance failed to respond to Twilight's calls.

"Cadance!"

No response.

"_Cadance!_"

Still no response.

"_CADANCE!_"

"Wh-what..." Cadance finally said, snapping out of the trance she was in, "what happened?"

"Cadance!" Celestia said, relieved, "You're okay!"

"But it's too late for all of you!" Sombra shouted, unleashing his dark magic on us all.

"What's going on!?" I asked, showing signs of fearfulness in my voice.

"I don't-" started Twilight before we had all disappeared from the throne room.

* * *

I had reappeared inside a barred room by myself. I was hurting really bad, believe it or not. I couldn't place my hoof on why I was hurting so badly since I wasn't directly attacked by Sombra himself. I started rubbing the back of my neck instinctively, like most people do when they try to cope with pain. As I was rubbing my neck, I began hearing some odd sounds coming from somewhere else in the room I was in.

"Who's there?" I bravely asked.

"Robert?" A voice replied. "Is that you?"

"How do you know my name?" I quickly asked, ignoring the previously asked question. "Show yourself."

A tall, white unicorn had stepped out from the shadows of the room and showed themselves to me. This unicorn had a beautifully crafted purple mane and tail and had three gemstones on their flank as a cutie mark.

"Rarity!" I concluded.

"Oh, Robert, darling," Rarity continued, "it is you."

"It is..." I repeated, noticing Rarity's increased height, wondering why she was so tall now.

"It is, but why are you so small?" Rarity immediately questioned.

"Why are you so big?" I asked at the same time.

"What happened, darling?" Rarity questioned once more.

"I don't know," I answered, "but what I really want to know is: which one of us is different? Did I shrink or did you grow?"

"I don't know, Robert," Rarity answered, "but let's try to find a way out of this horrid cage."

"Right!" I agreed.

We then began searching for a way outside of this cage. It appeared as if there was no way out, seeing how there was no doorway, but as I started using my magic to light up the room, I noticed that my magic was slowly fading. Eventually, all my magic abilities had vanished and I was unable to find the strength to perform basic magic now, such as levitation. I called for Rarity and told her my condition immediately as I confirmed I was unable to perform any kind of magic.

"Well that's terrible news, Robert," Rarity comforted me, "allow me to help."

I was confused as to what Rarity meant by that but felt an odd sensation fully encase itself around my body. I had noticed a light blue colored aura wrap itself around me and started bringing me up from the ground. It was a long flight upwards but it had stopped eventually and began dragging me towards the right.

__What's going on? __I thought.

Honestly, it took me an awful long time to figure out that Rarity was using her magic on me to help bring me up. Finally, Rarity had set me down on her back and her light blue aura released me. I nearly fell off but managed to get a grip on Rarity's back.

"Are you sure this is okay with you, Rarity?" I asked, unsure if Rarity wanted my dirt covered hooves on her back.

"Oh pish, posh, Robert," replied Rarity, "of course it's fine with me!"

Rarity's voice had echoed all around the room and had violently hurt my eardrums, most likely a side effect from one of our changed heights. Usually, a larger being has a more booming voice, which in this case, Rarity was the larger being here. What we didn't know was if I had shrunk in size and Rarity remained the same size, or if Rarity's height increased and I had stood the same. Either way, Rarity's voice was booming now and had hurt my ears as she shouted that out.

"Look!" Rarity exclaimed as I tended to my hurt ears.

"What's the matter, Rarity?" I asked.

"I believe I've found us a way out of this room!" She responded.

I had poked my head around Rarity's mane and spotted a large doorway in front of us both. The doorway appeared as if it would collapse at any moment, which was the case once Rarity shot a beam of magic at one of the hinges of the door. The door broke off its hinges and opened up to a dark hallway; a dark hallway with some eerie sounds coming from deep within said hallway.

"Shall we proceed, Robert?" Rarity asked me.

"Proceed with caution, Rarity." I answered in reply.

With that said, Rarity had proceeded slowly down the hallway with me notched upon her back. We had hoped to bump into someone else down this hallway and search for a way out of this mess but we weren't too sure if that would entirely happen according to plan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

"Are you okay back there, Robert?" Rarity asked me.

"I'm fine, Rarity," I replied, holding on tightly, "thanks for asking."

Riding on Rarity's back was soothing, believe it or not. However, I wish I knew who was the correct height - that was driving me nuts. When I don't know much about something, it really grinds my gears, if you know what I mean. I feel like it's in my best nature to know anything that happens around me as best as I can. I know I am unable to know about everything, but the subtle things, such as this one, for example, really do grind my gears. Suddenly, there came a noise from an unknown location. I thought it was just the air going by Rarity's mane, but when she stopped, I soon found out that that wasn't the case.

"Robert, darling, do you hear that?" asked Rarity.

I began listening a bit harder than I had been now. I began hearing faint hoofsteps coming from down the hallway. It couldn't have been Rarity's hoofsteps since she had just stopped moving.

"Whosoever is down there," politely started Rarity, "show yourself!"

"Relax, Rarity," a feminine voice said in reply, "it's only me, Twilight."

"And I," another voice called, "Lunar."

Twilight had lit up the surrounding area with her magic. It was revealed to me that both she and Lunar were their original heights, leading to my conclusion confirming that it was I who had shrunk in size and Rarity who had stayed the same height. Twilight approached Rarity and failed to notice me on her back.

"Are you by yourself, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"No, not at all," answered Rarity, "I am with Robert right here."

Rarity motioned her head towards her back and showed her side to Twilight, who quickly noticed my change in size. Twilight's large eyes filled my line of view as she gazed into my soul, at least that's what it felt like.

"What happened?" Twilight asked, damaging my eardrums much like Rarity did earlier.

"I don't know, Twilight." I replied, rubbing my now-gentle ears softly.

"Somehow," Rarity added, shifting herself back to the way she was before showing me to Twilight, "little Robert here has shrunk in size as a result of King Sombra's magic."

"Little?" I immediately questioned.

"Oh," replied Rarity, turning her head around to talk to me, "it sounds more cute that way."

I began blushing a bit as Rarity turned her head back around to continue conversing with Twilight and Lunar.

"Perhaps Robert absorbed the majority of the magic King Sombra attacked us with." Lunar suggested.

"If that is indeed the case, can either of you help bring me back to my normal size?" I asked.

"I'm not too sure, Robert." answered Twilight, a bit more quietly than before. "Can you perform any kind of magic?"

"Not at all, Twilight," I meekly replied, "I seemed to have lost my ability to perform any and all magic."

"Do you think it's due to his smaller size, Twilight?" A concerned Rarity asked.

"That is a strong possibility, Rarity," answered Twilight, "perhaps Princess Celestia can help him out."

"We'd need to find her first." I insisted.

"Right, tiny," Twilight playfully replied.

"So let's find her, __Princess.__" I playfully answered back.

Twilight gave me an annoyed look as I called her Princess. Hey, I may be tiny now, but that still doesn't mean I can have some fun messing with Twilight. Twilight glanced down at me heavily, proceeding to tell me something that made me really change my attitude fairly quickly.

"It'd be a shame if something were to happen to you, Robert," Twilight told me, motioning a hoof towards her stomach, "wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, now would we?"

Quickly taking the hint, I answered back instantly. "Sorry if I offended you, Twilight."

"Apology accepted, Robert." Twilight told me.

Lunar approached Twilight and brought her away, smiling in the process. "Now, now," he said, kissing Twilight's cheek gently, "let's go find the Princess."

That really got me to change my approach towards Twilight. Once again, I may be small, but that doesn't mean that I have to have my life ended a second time in the course of a week. Twilight turned around and smiled at me, which I did in return, although it was a false smile. Eventually, Rarity, Lunar, and Twilight continued down the eerily dark and mysterious hall with me still riding Rarity's back.

"Where do you think we are?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"From the looks of it," Twilight started, "I'd say we're in the dungeons beneath Canterlot."

"I can confirm that we are in the dungeons," Lunar stated.

"How do you know?" Rarity asked curiously.

Lunar simply pointed to a nearby crystallized structure, telling Rarity that only that type of architectural genius could be found in Canterlot.

"It could also be found in the Crystal Empire, you know," Twilight pointed out.

Lunar shrugged. "That may be true," he answered, "but the Crystal Empire is far away from here and King Sombra doesn't seem to possess that kind of strong magic to teleport ten ponies far, far away on one try."

"Point taken," Twilight responded, "but this is King Sombra we're talking about."

"But Lunar is probably right," admitted Rarity, "teleporting ten ponies halfway across Equestria at one time isn't something even Celestia could probably do."

"And she is the most powerful pony, in terms of magic, in Equestria," Lunar added, receiving a cold glare from Twilight. He then rushed some words out in an effort to please Twilight again. "Present company excluded, of course."

"Thank you." smiled Twilight.

The trio of ponies kept slowly moving along the dark hallway while I was still positioned atop Rarity's back. Suddenly, a few more sounds rang down the walls of the hallway we were in, coming from all different directions. Rarity, Lunar, and Twilight had decided to stay put and let the sounds confront us. Twilight still lit the junction with her magic, trying to help out the sounds if they were coming closer to our position.

"Aren't they all still trapped in dungeons, Twilight?" I curiously asked after we had waited for a long while.

"Right..." Twilight responded.

"We should split up, Twilight," I suggested, "you and Lunar go down that hallway and free whoever is in any dungeon and Rarity and I will do the same down this hallway."

"Sounds like a plan, Robert." Twilight praised.

"Well, I may be small," I continued, "but I'm still a smart cookie."

"And a mighty tasty looking one, too." Twilight warned.

"Just saying." I immediately responded.

"Now, now, Twily," chuckled Lunar, "come along." He turned to Rarity next. "We'll meet back here when we're done, okay?"

"Sounds good, darling," Rarity remarked.

I managed to get a glimpse at Twilight before Rarity and myself headed down our designated hallway to check on any other ponies that were trapped here. She slyly smirked at me before heading down her designated hallway along with the Prince. Rarity and I proceeded down our hallway, trying our best to find whatever it was that was making the eerie sounds. Once we had met a nearby dungeon door face-to-face, Rarity asked if anybody was inside.

"Is that you, Rarity?" A voice asked.

"Yes," answered Rarity, "are you alone in there?"

"No," the voice responded, "I'm here with Rainbow Dash."

This voice sounded like Fluttershy's voice but I wasn't too sure. Mainly, why would Fluttershy answer and not go crazy in this severely dark area and not Rainbow Dash. Either way, Rarity blasted the door with her magic and knocked it off its hinges, causing it to fall to the ground, generating a rather loud, metallic slamming sound upon hitting the ground. Once the doorway was cleared and it was safe to do anything, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had exited their dungeon and tagged along with us. Calling out to nobody in particular, Rarity made sure if all the other rooms were cleared before heading back to the junction. Confirming that all was cleared, Rarity, myself, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash started proceeding back towards the junction to meet up with Twilight and Lunar, hoping that they had found everyone else. We had waited for Twilight and Lunar for a few moments and, when they finally arrived back, she was accompanied by Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance.

"Where is Princess Celestia?" I asked. I had drawn a few eyes from those who hadn't noticed me before.

"What happened to you, Robert?" Princess Cadance asked me.

"Well," I began, "I believe King Sombra's magic is behind this doing."

"Right," added Twilight, "Robert must have absorbed the majority of the magic King Sombra attacked us with and that might have something to do with his smaller stature."

"And let me tell you," I continued, "I don't want to stay like this any longer. So does anypony know any spell that can change me back to normal?"

"Princess Celestia is the only pony who knows such spells and is the only one who can help you." Princess Luna told me.

"So where is Princess Celestia?" I asked the group of giant ponies.

"Is she not with you?" asked Princess Luna.

"We thought she was with you, to be honest." Twilight replied.

The commotion as to the whereabouts of Princess Celestia started getting out of hoof. I had decided to stay out of it until I began hearing something abnormal coming from deep within the dark hallways of the dungeons. I tugged at Rarity's mane gently, asking her to place me on the ground for a quick moment.

"What for, Robert?" Rarity quickly questioned, concerned about how safe I'll be in a room full of giant ponies. "I'm afraid of somepony stepping on you and crushing your cute little self."

"I need to know if I can feel any sort of movement." I replied. "Perhaps it'll help find our way out or even find Princess Celestia."

Rarity thought about that for a while. She appeared to be really concerned about my safety. Eventually, she answered me back.

"Fine, darling," Rarity told me, encasing me in her magic aura, "just be careful, Robert."

"I'll do just that, Rarity." I replied as Rarity set me down on the ground.

Fortunately for me, nobody above me was moving their hooves, so this made my concentration seem like clockwork. I crouched down onto the ground and began feeling vibrations of hooves striking the ground coming from down the hallway. I placed an ear on the ground so that I could track down the exact location of the vibrations. This was one of the easier things that I could do, but it would've been even easier had everyone not been bickering with each other. I tried tracing the little, subtle vibrations all the way back to its origin point, managing to do so within a few moments.

After successfully locating the vibrations, I stood back up strongly, only to be overshadowed by everyone. I looked up and started shouting out to them, only to be silenced by a gigantic indigo colored hoof crashing down into the ground from which I was originally standing. I had managed to jump out of the way at the last second and immediately looked up to scold the owner of the hoof that almost killed me, though couldn't find the strength to do so since the owner of that hoof was Princess Luna. One does not scold a Princess; it's simply inhumane.

I located Rarity and managed to get her attention, seeing how she was the only pony who was actually looking down on the ground, making sure I was fine up from above. She saw me waving at her and gently picked me up using her magic. Placing me on her back, I thanked her for saving me and kindly asked if she could get everybody's attention, doing just that and slowly getting the group to silence itself.

"Thank you again, Rarity." I smiled, finally able to think clearly for once.

"No problem, darling!" Rarity replied, hurting my eardrums by accident.

"What's the matter, Robert?" Princess Cadance asked me.

"My honing abilities have discovered some movement up ahead down that hallway." I told everyone as I pointed to the hallway the vibrations came from.

"Do you think Princess Celestia could be down that hall?" Twilight asked.

"Beats me," I answered, "but that is a very good possibility."

"Let's check it out then." Pinkie Pie said happily.

"Lead the way, Robert." Princess Cadance said.

"I'd love to, Princess," I responded, "but I think this will go a lot quicker if I traveled with one of you."

"Allow me," Princess Luna inserted, wrapping her magic aura around my body and bringing me up to her back.

"Thank you, Princess Luna." I told her.

"Careful, Luna," I heard Lunar say. Something tells me that he doesn't fully trust me yet.

"You're quite welcome, Robert, and I will, Lunar," Luna responded, turning to face me, "now hang on tight and tell me exactly where to go."

With that said, Luna quickly rushed down the hallway I pointed towards earlier. Upon reaching the end of that hallway, I told Luna to take a right turn and head down this new hallway. She followed my orders, which, on a side note, was a pretty cool thing in my mind. As we rushed down the new hallway, my ears began twitching violently, picking up the sudden sound coming from near the position I triangulated earlier.

"Whatever is nearby," I started, "they're making a whole lot of noise."

"What do you mean?" A tired Twilight asked.

"They're close by." I replied.

As we neared the end of the new hallway, my ears twitched towards the left side a bit, which was odd since the only thing on the left side of us was a doorway. On our right was a completely segregated hallway that kept on going into the never ending darkness. My ears violently twitched towards the door and I concluded that whatever was making the sound was just beyond this doorway.

"They're just beyond this door." I told Luna.

"Well then," Luna responded, "we meet our troublemaker then."

Luna grabbed a hold of the large, metal doorway with her magic and swung it open. He room inside was completely dark. I hopped off Luna's back and began triangulating the exact position of the being here in this room. It seemed to be a very large room, but I was able to navigate through the room and, once I managed to triangulate the origin of the vibrations, I'd started confronting them, regardless of size difference.

"Over here, everypony!" I shouted.

"Oh, dear me..." Cadance quietly spoke.

"Sister," Luna started, rushing over to greet her sister, barely missing me in the process, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, my sister," Celestia responded, "simply fine."

"That's great news, my dear sister." Luna responded.

"Where are we?" Celestia quickly asked.

"From the looks of it," Twilight started, "we're in the dungeons underneath Canterlot."

"Is everypony unharmed?" Celestia questioned, concerned about the health of everyone else.

"We're all fine, for the most part." Cadance answered.

"What's wrong?" Celestia responded.

"Umm...I'm wrong, Your Highness." I answered, glancing up at the gigantic alicorn herself. She was already taller than everybody in the room, but now she looked as if she could easily dispose of me without even trying.

"What happened, Robert?" Celestia asked, bending down in order to get closer to me. I appreciated that; it kept me from yelling.

"I shrunk in size considerably, Your Highness," I replied, "most likely the reason being King Sombra and his dark magic."

"I believe that Robert absorbed the majority of King Sombra's dark magic, resulting in his smaller stature." Twilight added.

"With all due respect, Princess Celestia," I continued, "can you please help me out?"

"I may be able to help you out, Robert," Celestia responded, "but since King Sombra's magic did this to you, my magic might not have any effect on you for quite a while."

"I'll take any chance I can get, Your Highness," I told her, "just please help me out..."

"Fine," Celestia agreed, "hold still."

I did my best to stay perfectly still, feeling Princess Celestia's magic begin to wrap itself around me and attempt to do something to my body. I had forced my eyes shut, only to open them back upon hearing an extremely loud sound reminiscent of a cork bottle popping after I felt something go a tad bit wrong. Looking up, I saw that Princess Celestia had literally been thrown across the room, slamming against a hard, unforgiving metal wall. The ponies in the room rushed over to check on Princess Celestia, which made sense because she was in a higher position above me on the social totem poll. Once Princess Celestia could stand under her own power again, the ponies then came closer to me to see how I was doing.

"Are you okay, Robert?" Princess Luna asked me.

"Are you hurt?" Princess Celestia added.

"I'm fine..." I meekly replied.

I looked around a bit and noticed that everyone was still taller than I was. I was a bit disappointed that the Princess' magic failed to fix me and change me back to normal.

"I see that the magic failed..." I confidently said.

"I'm sorry, Robert." Celestia told me.

"Don't be, Your Highness," I happily replied, "after all, you did say that there was a possibility that this would not work. I didn't really get my hopes up that high after you said that."

It did hurt me a bit to know that I'll still have to keep my guard up sky high when it comes to being near these ponies that can easily crush me. However, Rarity did levitate me up onto her back for my safety.

"I'd feel better if you were kept in safe hooves, Robert." Rarity exclaimed.

"Thank you, Rarity." I thanked.

Rarity smiled as she brought her head closer towards the top of mine. I wasn't too sure what she was doing, though I soon found out after Rarity had puckered up her lips and gave me a kiss.

_That_ caught me _way_ off my guard. I'm sure if Spike were here, he'd be really jealous of me at this moment. Based off of his actions earlier, I could tell that he really liked Rarity – liked like. Either way, I enjoyed that kiss, even if it came from a fictional character in a fictional world.

"How do we find a way out?" Applejack asked.

"Just leave that to us." Twilight answered, pointing towards Princess Cadance in the process.

"Just like old times, wouldn't you say, Twilight?" smiled Princess Cadance.

"Just like old times." agreed Twilight.

If anyone knew the way out of these dungeons, it was the two of them. After all, both of them had been trapped here back in Season 2's two-part finale while Queen Chrysalis wreaked havoc within Canterlot playing the role of Princess Cadance.

Twilight and Cadance led the lot of us through the dark and mysterious dungeons, finally reaching the outside world in almost no time at all. Once we had arrived outside, however, we were treated to a fairly unwelcoming sight.

All around Canterlot, dark gemstones, reminiscent of those back in the Crystal Empire when Sombra tried taking over again, had lined up everywhere and popped out of the ground.

"King Sombra is attacking Canterlot!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

__Thanks, Captain Obvious... __I harshly resided.

"We must get back towards the Canterlot Castle in order to defeat him." Celestia told us.

Upon hearing that, we had all rushed over towards the castle as quickly as our hooves could carry us. Rarity made sure to be extra gentle with me, making sure I didn't slip off or get left behind. Sure we may have been the last ones to reach the Canterlot Castle, but it was vital that I was here. I may be tiny now, but that doesn't mean I still can't use my Element of Harmony. For all we know, my Element of Happiness could be the key to defeating King Sombra while using the other Elements of Harmony.

"We best attack now!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Hold on there, Rainbow!" I responded, getting Rainbow Dash to stop dead in her tracks.

"What!?" She shot back.

"That's what King Sombra wants us to do." I told her. "Trust me, villains all work the same way."

"Explain yourself, Robert!" Demanded Luna, her voice pounding my eardrums, causing me to tend to them a bit before replying to her.

"Well," I slowly started, "if I can recall upon every hero-versus-villain scenario I've seen in my life, every time the hero attacks shortly after being attacked and/or overthrown by the villain, the hero usually ends up losing once more. Back home, there was a superhero that went by the name of Batman who had a formidable opponent and arch-rival who went by the name of The Joker. The Joker had threatened and beaten Batman at his own game, causing Batman to take on The Joker face-to-face. Batman lost that fight so he had to change his approach a bit and, although that took a long time, he was able to defeat The Joker the only time he needed to beat him."

"What are you saying, Robert?" Lunar asked me, somewhat being skeptical of what I just said.

"Yeah," added Rainbow Dash, "what are you getting at exactly?"

"What I am 'getting at,' Rainbow Dash," I continued, "is that we need to plan this onslaught out carefully if we wish to overthrow Sombra from Canterlot. Do you get what I am saying now?"

"I guess so..." Rainbow Dash softly replied.

"But how do we go about beating King Sombra, Robert?" Twilight asked. "Last time, the Crystal Heart defeated him and, judging by the dark crystals around s, we don't have enough time to get it from the Crystal Empire."

"Nor would that even leave the Empire, Twilight." added Lunar.

"Leave that to me." I assured Twilight.

I immediately began plotting a way to overthrow that horrid King Sombra. It only took me a couple of minutes to fully derive a plan and, once I did, I shared it with the others.

"Okay," I began, "do I have everypony's attention?"

"You may certainly proceed, Robert." Celestia told me.

"Good," I continued, "now, in order to beat King Sombra, this is what we're going to have to do. Since there is only one way of entering and exiting the throne room without flying, I'll need both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to fly up to two opposite windows and hold down King Sombra with your magic. After that, the rest of us will charge into the throne room and, while King Sombra is still dazed and confused, we'll use our Elements to defeat King Sombra. If, however, King Sombra reverts his attention back towards us, which is a high possibility, Princess Cadance and Prince Lunar here will use their magic to fully stop King Sombra in his tracks. If this all plays out as well as it's supposed to, we'll successfully be able to overthrow King Sombra and reinstate Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as the true rulers of Canterlot. Sound good to everypony?"

"It sounds good, Robert." Twilight praised me, closely followed by appraisal coming from everyone.

"Then let's overthrow ourselves a King." I confidently spoke.

With that being said, Celestia and Luna quickly and instinctively flew up to two opposite windows of the throne room, making sure to go undetected, while the rest of us charged our way towards the throne room. It didn't take long to get near the throne room, but it was tiring. There are a lot of stairs that lead to the room, you know.

Once we were outside the throne room, I gave a quick nod to Celestia and Luna outside the windows as the rest of us blasted through the large, double-wide doors.

"Alright, King Sombra," I shouted, watching Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fly into the throne room, "your reign of terror has..."

I was stopped short by some surprises that I was definitely not expecting.

"No..." I quietly said. "It. Can't be..."

"Surprise!" A familiar foe shouted.

"But...but why?" I asked.

"Why are you here?" demanded Celestia.

"Hahaha," King Sombra laughed, "this is truly a sight to see, isn't it Discord?"

"Oh, it truly is an amazing sight, Sombra." Discord replied.

"Why are you doing this, Discord?" A quiet Fluttershy asked.

"What about the magic of friendship?" I added, reminding Discord of his reformed days.

Discord flew over towards me and glanced heavily at me. He seemed to be a bit intrigued about my small size and appeared to toy with me a bit, though I couldn't really confirm that entirely.

"And who exactly are you?" Discord asked me.

"That's none of your business, you abominable freak!" I shouted in reply.

"Oh, I'm the freak, am I?" Discord answered, hovering his cloven hoof over my body in the air, sending it crashing down into the ground that once supported my weight as I jumped out of the way.

"Yes you are!" I told him.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" snapped Discord.

"Enough!" Celestia yelled out, trying to calm the tensions between Discord and myself.

"Come here, Robert," Rarity called, though it was more of an order, seeing how I was being forcefully brought over towards her and placed on her back.

"Thank you, Rarity," I said, "it would have turned a bit ugly had we been left alone..."

"And that's why we're here, darling," responded Rarity.

Rarity kissed me on my head once more as we paid our attention towards the two horrible villains that were presently in our presence. Celestia and Luna had approached both King Sombra and Discord respectively and began conversing with them. It sounded like negotiations at first, but after I put two and two together, I noticed that both Princesses were threatening the two villains to leave peacefully if they didn't want anything to happen to them.

"Hahaha!" laughed Discord and King Sombra.

"You really don't understand how villains work, do you, Celestia?" Discord asked through his horrid laughing.

"Why on earth would we simply give up like that!?" Sombra added.

"Unless you both want to deal with the Elements of Harmony..." Celestia started.

"...you'd better kindly surrender now!" finished Luna.

Discord snapped his fingers as Celestia and Luna threatened the two dastardly villains. Nobody seemed to notice this besides me, however, when I tried bringing it to everyone's attention, I noticed we had bigger problems to cope with at the moment. Discord's magic somehow transported the Elements away from all seven of us!

__How can this be? __I thought. __I thought the Elements had a protection spell protecting them from something like this! How can they be gone!?__

I tugged at Rarity's mane gently in order to grab her attention. Once she turned her head so that she was now facing me, I began to alert her that the Elements were transported away by Discord.

"That's preposterous, Robert," Rarity denied, "see?"

She pointed to her chest, only to find out that her Element was no longer attached to her neck. We glanced over towards everyone else and noticed that nobody had their Elements either.

"Twilight!" I called, fortunately getting her attention.

"What's the matter, Robert?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight, dear," started Rarity, "our Elements, they're gone!"

Twilight began touching the top of her head with her hoof, trying to feel her crown that was no longer present. Once she concluded that her crown was no longer perched on top of her head, she glanced over at everyone else and noticed that everyone's Elements was gone. Angry, Twilight glared at Discord and demanded that he bring back the Elements immediately.

"Come now, Twilight," Discord replied, "if you want your precious Elements so badly, all you need to do is solve this riddle!"

"What riddle?" Twilight impatiently asked.

"Again?" Lunar added quietly.

"You'll find your precious Elements once you solve this one rhyme," Discord laughed, "where does boiling and freezing at the same time!?"

"You'd better tell us where the Elements are, buddy!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "I mean it!"

"Oh come now, Rainbow Dash," Discord replied, "that's no fun."

"You'll never find your precious Elements of Harmony now!" King Sombra shouted as he used his dark magic to throw us all out of the throne room.

We had all hit the ground hard after King Sombra threw us out of the throne room. I had managed to stay atop Rarity's back the entire time, though when she landed on her back as we were tossed. I saw my life flash before my eyes when Rarity came crashing down on top of me. I could've sworn that Rarity would've crushed me to death there, but I guess I was spared there. Still, it was a pretty alarming site.

Everyone stood back atop their hooves as we began to think about Discord's riddle as to the whereabouts of the Elements of Harmony. Something about this riddle seemed oddly familiar to me, like I've heard it somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where or when I heard it before.

__Where does boiling and freezing at the same time.__ Rang Discord's words in my head.

"What could that mean?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Boiling and freezing," I said quiet enough so that nobody could hear me, "boiling and freezing..."

"Perhaps it's," Lunar said, slowly drifting off, "no, that can't be right...""

__I've heard that terminology before, __I thought, __but where...__

"Ah don't know, y'all," admitted Applejack.

"Yeah," inserted Rainbow Dash, "c'mon Twilight. You gotta know this. You're like super smart."

"I honestly am just as stumped as you are, Rainbow," Twilight said.

"That is a very peculiar riddle, everypony." Luna sympathized.

__Boiling and freezing...__ I repeated in my head, __boiling and freezing...__

"Could it mean that there's an ice cream truck on fire somewhere?" Pinkie asked, bouncing all over the place.

"I don think so, Pinkie," Twilight answered.

__Boiling and freezing...__

That's when it came to me. I've heard this same riddle before on an old cartoon. The answer to this riddle was so obvious! How could I not remember this earlier?

"I know it!" I shouted out, making myself the center of attention.

"What does it mean then, Robert?" Twilight asked me.

"Boiling and freezing is code for a specific location!" I replied.

"What do you mean?" Asked Princess Cadance.

"The freezing point of water is zero degrees Celsius while the boiling point it two hundred and twelve degrees Celsius." I explained. "So all we have to do us search the areas that have a coordinate plane of 212° East or West across the longitudinal plane and 0° on the latitudinal plane on any coordinates-orientated map! We locate these areas, we locate our Elements of Harmony!"

"Robert," Twilight replied, "you're a genius!"

"We need to hurry!" I warned. "We're running out of time to overthrow those villains! Come on, everyone! The quicker we grab the Elements, the quicker we can defeat those two villains in there!"

"Just one question, Robert." Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Sure," I replied, "what's up?"

"Well," continued Rainbow Dash, "it's more of a question Twilight has."

"Alrighty then," I said, turning towards Twilight, "what's your question, Princess?"

"Hey," Twilight explained, "watch yourself!"

"My apologies, Twilight. It slipped out." I told her. "Now what was it that you wanted to ask?"

"Well," started Twilight, glancing heavily down at me, "you do understand that there is no such thing as a 212° East or West, right?"

"But there is such a thing as a 212° coordinate plane, Princess." I replied.

Twilight glared at me harshly. "You're pushing it, Robert," she said, pointing one of her hooves towards her stomach, "wouldn't want anything to happen to you, you know."

"Am I detecting some negative aura reminiscing from you, Twilight?" I playfully asked.

I sometimes wish I could shut my big mouth from time to time. Why, you ask? Well, for one, it gets myself in trouble, especially now. Allow me to explain: Twilight took that comment the wrong way and wrapped her magic aura around my body, bringing me up and dangling me above her head. I tried reasoning with her and apologizing as much as I could.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," I pleaded, "I'm so, so, so sorry! I'll make sure it won't happen again! Please don't hurt me..."

Twilight stared heavily at me, shutting her mouth slowly. "Fine," she finally said after some tense silence, "I'll hold you to that promise."

She then gently placed me back on the ground and bent down so the she could whisper something else to me.

"However," she remarked, "if I feel that you're breaking your promise," she pointed towards her stomach once more, "next time, I won't be so nice about it."

"You have my word, Prin...uhh, I mean, Twilight." I replied.

"Good boy." answered Twilight.

__How does Spike deal with you? __I thought to myself.

It's as if Twilight read my thoughts as she turned around and gave me a very intriguing smile. As I watched her smile at me, I was being wrapped once more with some magic aura, this one belonging to Rarity seeing how it was a light blue colored aura covering me. I glanced over at Rarity as she placed me on her back once more. She turned her head to face me and smiled back at me.

"I don't know if I should be scared of Twilight or not." I whispered to her.

"Now, darling," Rarity quietly replied, "Twilight's just having some fun, seeing how cute you are, all small and tiny."

"I don't know, Rarity." I meekly answered. "After all, she was nearly close to eating me just there."

"I'm certain she wouldn't have eaten you." Rarity assured.

As Twilight walked out of the room with Lunar closely following behind her, leaving just Rarity and myself, I began questioning that logic.

"How certain are you of that, Rarity?" I asked.

"Fairly certain, darling," answered Rarity.

"I wish I could believe you, dear..." I said, unaware of how exactly I finished that statement.

"Pardon," Rarity quickly asked, "did you just call me 'dear,' darling?"

"I guess I did," I replied, "sorry if I overextended my word play."

"It's quite alright, Robert," Rarity said, "I actually like it. The way you said it with such sophistication and so professional like, it really was interesting and appreciative."

"Well," I chuckled, "there's more where that came from, dear."

I walked up to Rarity's face and gave her a kiss on her cheek. Heck, it might have been all that I could see, but I clearly saw her blush a nice, magnificent magenta color.

"Oh, Robert," Rarity quietly said so that she wouldn't hurt my ears, "how unexpected."

"Too much, Rarity?" I asked without hesitation.

"Perhaps," she replied, "but I do very much enjoy it, darling."

"Well, like I said," I continued, "there's more where that came from."

With that said, I once again gave Rarity a kiss on her cheek, which she seemed to enjoy, topped off with her giggling a bit.

"Oh, Robert, darling," Rarity said, "you do know how to treat and respect a lady with glamor and perfection."

She then turned her head towards where I was and lightly kissed me on top of my head. I felt my cheeks blushing into a pale pink color as Rarity smooched the top of my head. Thankfully, she didn't manage to see my blush.

__Spike,__ I thought to myself, __you surely would be jealous of me.__

Suddenly, the door to the throne room opened wide up and out came Discord and King Sombra. Rarity had turned her attention over from me towards the two villains as she began shuffling backwards. The sudden appearance of them both startled us both, almost causing me to fall off of Rarity as she jerked back around to face the door. The two dastardly villains noticed us and slowly began approaching us.

"Well, well, well," began Discord, "look who we have here, Sombra!"

"A couple of stragglers left in our midst." Sombra replied.

"So it seems," smiled Discord, staring directly at us both.

I grew nervous, but managed to overcome my nerves for the short term. Standing up on Rarity's back, I approached her ear, whispering into it.

"Run, dear..." I whispered into Rarity's ear, hoping that she wasn't nervous enough to make a break for it and run after Twilight and the others.

She heeded to my advice, immediately turning straight around and attempted running away. Unfortunately, and I don't know how this slipped my vision, King Sombra was standing right behind us and began shunting us back into the throne room. With the heavy doors slamming shut behind us, Discord dragged us over towards the throne he had claimed as his own and began grounding us while Sombra held us down with his magic.

"Now," Discord said as he chained down Rarity, "we'll never be defeated!"

"The Elements of Harmony won't work without all of you!" Sombra added. "Not that you would've found them anyway."

Discord then spotted me as I tried hiding myself inside Rarity's mane. Rarity noticed this and tried to motion her mane so that I could attempt to escape from Discord, however, he grabbed me with his horrible, dreadfully piercing claw.

"Now, what do we have here?" Discord said, dangling me in front of his face.

"Put. Me. Down!" I demanded.

"Now why would I do that?" Discord added.

"Put that pest in this." Sombra requested, magically spawning a little jar to put me in.

"Excellent idea, Sombra!" praised Discord, dropping me into the jar and slamming the lid shut.

"Robert, darling!" Rarity cried.

I got back up, only to stumble down as the jar I was in had been slammed down on a table located next to Rarity.

"Robert, darling," Rarity asked, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, dear," I replied, "how about you?"

"Simply fine, darling," answered Rarity, "though I wish these shackles were taken off of me."

"Can't you use your magic?" I asked.

Rarity motioned her head so that her mane would move out of the way so that I could see her horn, which was being covered by this unusual dark pebble.

"Whatever this is," Rarity told me, "it's forbidding me to use my magic..."

"And that's a great way to keep you two here!" shouted Sombra.

"And when the Elements of Harmony return with Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and that pesky Lunar," added Discord, "we'll finally get rid of them all!"

__No...__ I thought.

I looked over towards Rarity, who had a look of disbelief attached to her face. Looking back at Discord and King Sombra, I vowed to myself that they would pay for what they have done.

* * *

I had paced around inside this small jar for what seemed like hours. Outside, the sun had set a long time ago, so now it was as dark as it was when we were inside the Everfree Forest searching for the Element of Happiness.

__Haven't these guys ever heard of a candle?__ I thought to myself.

I glanced over towards Rarity, who had collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion. She had fallen asleep for the night – this eerily lengthy night – as did Discord and King Sombra, leaving me as the only pony who had still been wide awake. Come to think of it, I haven't seen or even heard from King Sombra or even Discord in a long time.

Ugh, Discord...how could he betray the ponies of Equestria.._twice_ no less!?

I was pacing around to search for a way out of this jar I was in. I looked up and noticed a tightly screwed in cork, making an escape from the top futile. However, when I looked down towards the bottom of the jar, I noticed that the jar wasn't fully placed on the table I was on.

I began deriving a plan almost instantaneously afterwards. __Hmm...if I could somehow tip over this jar, maybe the impact will be strong enough to shatter this jar and free me.__

I took a long look around the room and noticed that Rarity and myself were the only ponies inside this room, making now the perfect time to escape from the clutches of the two evil villains. I backed up all the way to one side of the jar then, taking a deep breath, charged towards the opposite side with all my might, crashing into it and making the jar tilt a bit, but not tip over. I had backed up all the way once more, and proceeded to pull the same action as before.

As I crashed into the side of the jar, I began to feel it tip over. I tried attaining some sort of grip on the side of the jar, but couldn't do so, sending me spiraling out of control as the jar was sent crashing down to the ground. My head was near the ground when the jar started to shatter but, fortunately for me, the shattered glass scattered elsewhere around the room and away from my head.

I shook off the motion sickness fairly easily and located Rarity, whose elegant body was lying on top of the chains that were keeping her grounded and motionless. The chains looked a bit rusted compared to when they originally were attached to Rarity, so I decided to focus on them right now.

I tried removing the chains from under Rarity myself, but seeing how small I was and how heavy Rarity was compared to my current state, that did not go well. Seeing how that failed, I positioned myself face-to-face with the slumbering Rarity and rubbed myself against her cheek as gently as possible so that she wouldn't be too startled, should she have woken up.

My horn had begun scratching Rarity's elegant, white colored fur as I began my attempts to wake the lovely Element of Generosity up from her lovely looking slumber. Even with chains attached to her body, Rarity still made that look so incredible.

Getting back on track here, after a while, Rarity had begun waking up. Startled and annoyed, she quickly glanced over towards the other side of the room, noticing that it was completely empty.

"Robert, darling," Rarity quietly started, "how on earth did you escape your jar?"

"I'll explain later," I replied, "but now we need to escape here."

"How do you suppose we'll escape?" questioned Rarity.

"Well, for one," I said, "I'll need you to stand up fully while I attempt to uncouple these raggedy, old chains."

"Fine," agreed Rarity, "just please be careful, dear. I don't want to hurt you, you know."

"I'll be extremely careful, dear," I answered in reply as I started uncoupling Rarity's gigantic chains.

It wasn't hard really, seeing how my hooves were smaller than the keyhole to each ankle bracelet. All I did was stick my hoof inside each keyhole and shuffle it about for a few moments. Since I picked tons of locks back home – something that I'm not entirely proud of, by the way – I knew exactly what I was looking for and immediately managed to pick each lock, successfully unlocking each ankle bracelet and freeing Rarity from her chained imprisonment. The last thing I needed to work on was getting off the pebbles that had attached themselves to Rarity's horn.

"Could you crouch down, Rarity, so that I can remove the pebbles from your horn?" I politely asked.

"Sure thing, dear," answered Rarity, "watch out."

Rarity crouched her entire body down onto the ground slowly, making sure she wouldn't crush me in the process. She touched base with the ground so smoothly, I didn't even hear the roar I usually hear when anything moves and touches the ground. She lowered her head so that I may examine the black pebbles a bit further.

"Okay," I started, "I'm going to try something right now. If it begins to hurt you, please tell me to stop."

"Sure thing, darling," replied Rarity, allowing me to climb onto her horn.

What I had planned in mind was to use my horn to scrape off the black pebbles from Rarity's horn. If it worked, then perhaps Rarity's magic abilities wouldn't be disturbed anymore.

I had started grinding my horn onto Rarity's horn, plucking off some of the weaker pebbles. I had scraped off the weaker pebbles first, then focused on those pebbles that were a bit harder to clear away.

"Does it hurt, dear?" I asked.

"Not at all, sweetie," answered Rarity.

__I like the sound of that, __I thought after hearing that answer, __sweetie.__

A few moments more had passed by before I scraped off the last of the black pebbles from Rarity's horn. After jumping off, I turned and faced Rarity, telling her that she should be able to perform magic now without any kind of disturbance.

"Let's see, sweetie," said Rarity, focusing her magic on me.

I began to feel a sort of warm sensation as I began to get wrapped up in some light blue aura. I jumped to the conclusion that Rarity was able to use her magic once more, but didn't say anything until I had been released by the magic. The magic aura brought me from where I was on the ground, looking up at the beautiful, giant unicorn, up to Rarity's back, where she had gently placed me on top of. There, Rarity turned her head around and gave me a little kiss on top of my head.

"Thank you so much, sweetie, for helping me out so much!" She told me.

"No need to thank me," I replied, blushing again from Rarity's adorable kiss, "let's just focus on escaping from here first before anything else happens."

With that said, Rarity had began rushing out of the deserted throne room with me notched upon her back. We had escaped the throne room with ease, though it was escaping the castle that would prove to be a challenge seeing how this place was oozing guards all over the place.

"We need to make sure we escape undetected, dear," I whispered.

"Exactly what I was thinking, Robert." Rarity replied as we began traveling down a flight of stairs.

Rarity quietly climbed down the long flight of stairs until we had finally reached level ground again. Once that happened, I quietly called out to Rarity in order to get her attention.

"What's the matter, Robert, darling?" Rarity whispered, coming to a halt where we were.

"Wait here," I told Rarity, jumping off her back for a quick second, "let me make sure the coast is clear."

"Sure thing," answered Rarity, "just please be careful, sweetie."

I gave a flirtatious nod back at Rarity, then turned the corner and positioned myself so that I could detect anything coming from anywhere else in these hallways. My body hugged the ground while my ear touched base with it and, after a few tense minutes, I was able to confirm that we were alone for the time being.

I came back to Rarity and told her that we could proceed down the next few halls, seeing how there was not a single trace of anybody down any nearby halls. Rarity nodded, then slowly and quietly began following me. I had to sprint while Rarity maintained pace with me utilizing an extremely slow pace. For every dozen steps I took, Rarity probably only took one or two, that just goes to show you how different in size we are.

I came to a sudden halt as I started hearing something from a hallway further down from where we were. I felt Rarity's hoof touch my rear side, which honestly scared me more than getting caught. In fact, that probably frightened her more than it did me, seeing how she jumped back and immediately started asking me if I was hurt or unharmed. She felt so bad that she almost crushed me, but we had bigger problems at the moment. I let the near miss slide for now – though I would've let it slide, period – while I hugged the ground once more and placed an ear on the ground.

"Someone's down that hallway." I told Rarity, pointing towards a nearby entrance to the castle.

"But that's our way out..." replied Rarity.

"Wait..." I said, "they're coming closer..."

"We need to hide." Rarity exclaimed.

Instinctively, I stood up and hugged Rarity's hoof. I wasn't scared or anything. Honestly, I was more scared of being around gigantic ponies that could easily crush and kill me. However, when I hugged Rarity's hoof I felt an odd sensation; a magical sensation, if you will. I don't understand why I felt it hugging Rarity's hoof and not while I was on her back, but the sensation was making my horn glow my emerald colored aura once more. I tightly gripped Rarity's hoof, and after that, I felt nothing.

I had my eyes shut the entire time I hugged her hoof, so when I opened my eyes to see where she was, to my surprise, she was no longer there, though her voice was as close to me as it was prior to these unpredictable events.

"Robert, darling," she asked me from an undetermined location, "where are you sweetie?"

"Rarity?" I spoke at the same time. "Where are you?"

"Why, I'm still in the same spot as before, dear," answered Rarity.

"As am I, sweetie," I responded.

"So what happened, then?" asked Rarity.

"I don't-"

I was cut off as I heard a door to the castle open up. I heard the door creak and creep open, followed by eight feminine voices and one masculine voice. I assumed that they were Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Celestia, and everyone else, but I wasn't too sure since I still had no visual of them all.

As I gazed over towards the doorway, I saw two constantly moving shadows. The two shadows were taller than everyone else in the group and the part that was moving appeared as if it belonged to someone's head.

"I think it's Twilight and the others, Rarity." I said.

"Let's make sure that it is them first, Robert." replied Rarity.

"Right." I answered, paying more attention over towards the open doorway.

The shadows that were originally standing inside the doorway had finally begun moving and started proceeding further into the castle. As I got a closer look at the group, I confirmed that they were simply only Twilight accompanied by everyone else.

I had lifted my tight grip from Rarity and proceeded towards everyone else. What I didn't know was that once I had let go of Rarity, both myself and herself had reappeared fully in front of our eyes.

"What was that?" I asked myself out loud.

"Were we invisible?" questioned Rarity.

__How is that possible?__ I thought to myself. __I can't perform any kind of magic whatsoever...__

"That was indeed intriguing, Robert, darling." Rarity finished.

"You can say that again." I added.

Twilight and the others heard us conversing with each other and came over to greet us right away. The way Twilight greeted us, it was as if she hadn't seen us in years. She hugged us both tightly, which to me felt like she wanted to squeeze me to death, and then saw the confused looks in our faces.

"Lighten up, Twilight," I said, "we've been here for only a few hours."

"Few hours?" Twilight repeated.

"Why, yes, Twilight," Rarity assured, "we've been trapped in the throne room for-"

"For a few __years.__" interrupted Lunar.

"Few __years?__" I immediately responded.

"Yes," assured Twilight.

"How can that be?" Rarity asked as she turned her attention towards me.

"Why, we were kept inside the throne room for mere hours." I told Twilight. "I remember that you and the others went in search for the Elements of Harmony that Discord hid accompanied by Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Prince Lunar."

"That happened about two years ago, Robert." Twilight meekly replied, crouching down to talk to me face-to-face.

"How could that have been a few years?" I questioned. "I was awake the entire time...at least I think I was."

"Robert," Celestia calmly started.

"Nopony has seen or even heard from either you or Rarity in two years." Luna added.

"You've both been gone during that time and we never found you." Cadance spoke.

"But if we've been here for that amount of time," I retorted, "how come nobody thought to search for us?"

Silence trickled down after as nobody dared respond to my question.

"How come nobody searched for us for two years if you knew where we were?" I demanded.

I actually was fuming right now. However, I figured that since I'm still much smaller in size compared to everyone else, I'd better not lose my cool, or else I'd be the one who would pay for their actions.

"Twilight," Rarity called while using her magic to place me on her back.

Twilight stood back up as I was placed down on top of Rarity's back. I guess Rarity knew the circumstances of my fuming mood and knew just what could happen if someone took it the wrong way, so she made it a mission to provide me with safety. Twilight looked away while I was placed upon Rarity's back.

"Discord and King Sombra are the ones who rule Equestria now." Twilight regretfully spoke.

My jaw dropped as that sentence penetrated and violated my ears. Honestly, loud sounds could hurt me, but this just killed me. What happened to the two of us? How was it that we were gone for that long of time? What did those monsters do to Rarity and myself?

"Say it ain't so, Twilight," I sighed ruefully.

"I'm afraid it is, Robert." Twilight answered.

"How is that possible?" I asked Rarity.

"What exactly happened on the day we formerly disappeared?" Rarity asked Twilight, though she was looking at me and wrapping her head around my body.

I swear I felt a tear come down the side of Rarity's face as she wrapped her head around me. I knew how hard this was for both of us to take in, especially her. Because the two of us went missing for the last three years, Equestria was left without one of its most powerful means of defense. It hurt me pretty badly to know that, because of our absence, Equestria fell to the likes of Discord and King Sombra.

"Well," began Twilight, "after we left the throne room, we immediately rushed toward the location you gave us, 212° and 0° according to the you."

"Once we arrived," Pinkie Pie continued, "we found the Elements of Harmony hanging from an oddly planted tree."

"It was then when we finally figured out that neither one of you had followed us there." Rainbow Dash said.

"After we rounded up the Elements," Applejack spoke, "we rushed straight back here to find y'all."

"But...umm," Fluttershy quietly added, "what we...umm...found was..."

"What we found was that Discord and King Sombra had taken over and had you two as hostages." Celestia told us.

"The two threatened to end you both if we ever tried to break you out of the prison they had you in." Cadance added.

"We ultimately were forced to surrender, seeing how not a single one of us had the power to defeat either villain, let alone both of them." Luna said.

"After that, Discord and King Sombra forcefully removed us all from the throne room and assumed control of Equestria and...and it just hasn't been the same since then..." finished Lunar.

"And to think," I softly spoke to Rarity, "none of this wouldn't have happened if we had followed Twilight and the others out of the door to find our precious Elements."

"Oh, Robert, dear," Rarity replied, "don't be so hard on yourself."

I felt Rarity's head turn a bit. I'm assuming that she turned her head to face Twilight.

"I'm certain that there is a way to bring them down, if you will." Rarity stated.

"We've already tried that, Rare," Applejack answered.

"But that was without our presence," I butted in, "perhaps if we were there to help, things might've ended a bit differently."

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to bust out of the prison Dipwad and King Stupid put us in?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"Nothing can defeat us when we are all together." I protested.

That last statement made everybody think. I mean, really, really think. It was like I asked one of those life questions that everybody had to think about to get an answer to.

"Separate," I picked up after some tense silence, "we are all very different from each other, are we not?"

I saw everybody glance around towards each other, including the three princesses, though my statement was meant more towards the mane six, plus myself and, indirectly, Lunar, even if I still didn't have his full trust.

"Rainbow Dash is greatly athletic," I spoke, "whereas Rarity, here, is a unique fashionista. Applejack is a cowgirl herself, whereas Fluttershy is a timid Pegasus with many animal friends. Twilight here is an outgoing librarian and, now, a Princess, taking everything seriously with high sophistication and high needs, whereas Pinkie Pie is an outgoing pony, partying all night and day, while still finding energy to help out others. And you, Lunar. I don't really know much about you, but I do know that you bring constant happiness to Twilight here." I paused for a brief moment to collect my breath. "As for myself, I don't fit in here. My special talent is a talent that this world has yet to discover, at least that's what I believe. I am just as different as all of you, yet deep down, we are all the same, having the same problems and being brought closer together. Deep down, we all may be drastically different, but we are all friends and, more importantly, we are all ponies - mares and, in my case and Lunar's case, colts. We all may not have a lot in common, but we all do bring out the best in each other, which is what makes us all great friends. It doesn't matter if we all had nothing in common or everything in common. What matters is that we are all great friends that have adventures, together, while bringing out the best in us, together, and while overcoming every obstacle, together, no matter what is thrown in our direction."

That was a truly deep statement I said. I began feeling a tear escape from my eye, so I quickly wiped it away with my hoof, hoping that nobody saw me tear up a bit. What I said, what everyone heard, was the honest and generous truth. We are all loyal towards each other, sharing plenty of laughs along the way, but deep down, we are all kind spirits; our friendship, truly magical. Together, we made ourselves truly happy and together, up until now, we have been able to overcome all obstacles that were thrown at us. Now, in a really tense time, the friendships we've all crafted need us now more than ever because it is within the friendships that we have that will change the world for the better. I took one last breath and finally finished my long, inspirational speech.

I think I'm starting to sound exactly like Twilight, aren't I?

"Together, we've been able to overcome all challenges thrown at us." I continued. "This is no different. Our friendships need us now more than ever and it is within out friendships that we will find the strength to defeat Discord and King Sombra. What do you say?"

I held out my tiny hoof, hoping everybody would join me. After giving each other quick glances, everyone started joining me in unison, touching my tiny hoof in the process.

"He's right," Twilight agreed, "it is because of the friendships that we have crafted that we have been able to overcome all challenges thrown in our way. This challenge is no different than any other challenge given to us."

"Right," Celestia added, "now it's up to the friendships each of you have created and shaped up to bring down one of the most greatest threats Equestria has ever witnessed. It is up to you to bring order, peace, tranquility, and harmony back to Equestria. Are you up to the task?"

"We are, Princess," everyone stated.

"Good," Celestia continued, "now let us go and bring down Discord and King Sombra, together, using the Elements of Harmony and the magic of friendship."

With that said, Twilight led the group out of the castle we had been trapped in for a while, leading us straight towards the new castle that Discord and King Sombra called home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"There it is..." Twilight exclaimed, pointing to the destination – the dark, devious destination.

"Wow..." I replied. "It's a lot bigger than I had previously imagined."

"Everything is a lot bigger than you imagined, Robert..." Twilight quietly spoke, but loud enough for me to hear her.

"Boy, you can sure say that again, __Princess __Twilight." I told her.

Twilight gave a sinister glare to me, knowing quite well that I knew the severe consequences for messing with her, in a playful manner, that is. I knew that very well, like you know, having some close calls along the way. This time, I failed to care, since I knew that Twilight got what was coming to her. I saw that Rarity was overlooking what was going on between Twilight and myself. I glanced over towards Rarity and proceeded to ask her a question.

"You'd protect me in my current state," I began, "right Rarity?"

"I'd do the best I possibly can, dear," answered Rarity as she levitated me on top of her back.

I loved the way Rarity answered my questions with integral honesty and sheer sophistication sounding within her high societal voice. Either way, we all faced the large, dark castle that was in front of us and proceeded to go inside of it as we planned.

"Are you all ready?" Twilight asked, handing each of us our respective Element of Harmony.

"Ready, Twilight," we all said in unison upon receiving our Elements.

_I have a few questions first, _I thought to myself, _such as "how is my Element my size now and not larger than I am?"_

I was probably the most surprised out of everyone here for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the large castle surely caught me off guard, for I did not expect Discord and King Sombra to be ruling from a new, unseen castle. Secondly, I was surprised when I received my Element of Happiness. The necklace that goes around my neck (duh) had shrunk down to my size as well. I don't know if that was also the work of King Sombra - shrinking it, that is - or if Twilight had done that with her magic prior to her handing it over to me. Either way, my Element was matching my size and, as I attached it to my neck, the remainder of the group proceeded to breach the perimeter of the castle.

"Everypony remember the plan?" Twilight cautiously asked.

"I have a feeling that this would go a lot smoother if we were invisible like before," I quietly offered to Rarity, "wouldn't you agree, dear?"

"I'd agree with you one hundred percent, Robert," replied Rarity, "but do you recall how exactly you were able to do that?"

"Not at all..." I meekly said,

I had phased out a bit, getting drawn in by the large details of the structure. Seeing a new castle that was never-before-seen on the show was astonishing, to say the least. I had admired not only the complexion of the castle, but it's large stature as well. The windows, pillars, and, oddly, the lighting all grabbed my attention for quite some time. Once I began to phase back and pay attention to my surroundings again however, I heard Twilight and Princess Celestia finish whatever it was they were saying to us all.

"...and that's how we'll go about this." finished Twilight.

"Sounds intriguing," Celestia responded, "now just remember: the throne room we are searching for resides towards the top of the castle."

"Stealth and silence is truly key here if we want to navigate the halls without being detected." Luna added, almost like she knew the sheer danger that roamed through the halls.

"Once we get to the throne room," Cadance continued, "it'll be up to you seven while Princesses Celestia and Luna, along with myself and Prince Lunar, attempt to hold down both Discord and King Sombra with our magic."

"Everyone understand the plan and the goal here?" Twilight questioned once more.

"Ready, Twilight," everyone replied in unison again (side note, the unison reply is kinda creepy a second time around, not so much the first time).

"Then let's move out!" ordered Twilight.

With that said, we began navigating through the nearly pitch black hallways, searching for the throne room and, more importantly, Discord and King Sombra. Walking past all of these windows and pillars gave me a few shivers deep inside me, but I managed to shake them off for the time being. A few more moments passes by before Applejack alerts us that to staircase that is over on the far side of the empty and quiet hallway we were currently in. I was amazed that she managed to see that in this poorly lit castle, but we had a job to do and getting distracted by little things was not part of the plan.

These castle halls were eerily quiet...too quiet to be perfectly honest. But, like usual, I was overthinking the entire situation. Twilight certainly wasn't, praising Applejack for her find.

"Good job, Applejack," Twilight smiled., "we'll use that staircase to get to the top floor quicker."

"Hold your horses, Twilight," I quickly said, causing Twilight and everyone to stop in their tracks.

"'Hold your horses?'" Twilight reiterated.

"It's an expression back home for me," I explained.

"Seems legitimate," answered Lunar sarcastically.

"What's wrong, darling," Rarity asked as I jumped off her back.

"Something just doesn't seem right," I told everyone in general.

"What do you mean, Robert?" Pinkie Pie questioned.

"I mean, this seems too simple and too good to be true." I said. "Something must either be watching us, following us, or waiting for us down this hall. It just doesn't make sense how a large castle like this, which had two rulers at the top of it, has zero guards patrolling the halls." I turned to Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance. "Surely you wouldn't have castles that have zero guards for any of you, am I right?"

"Quite." Luna responded boldly.

"You make a good point," Celestia said, backing me up with appraisal and amazement.

"How do you think we should check to see if the coast is clear?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's where my small size comes in handy, finally," I answered back.

"What do you suppose you'll do?" Twilight immediately questioned.

"I'll go up ahead and make sure the coast is perfectly clear." I offered. "If it is, I'll come back and lead the way."

"Sounds like a plan," Rainbow Dash praised.

"Fine." Twilight added.

"Just be careful, Robert, darling." Rarity finished.

I smiled brightly at Rarity as I began proceeding down the large, dark hallway. My keen senses of navigating through thick and heavy darkness was perfect for this kind of job. It also helped in trying to locate any guards that were idly standing by.

__Not a single soul anywhere...__I thought to myself.

I had reached the end of the hallway fairly quickly and failed to spot any guards along the way. I turned around and headed on back towards the group to confirm that we are able to continue down the hall without being noticed. Once I reached everyone again, I confirmed that it was safe to advance.

"Good work, Robert," Luna praised, causing me to smile brightly as I was being levitated once more onto Rarity's back.

"That was good work, Robert," Rarity added, turning and kissing my head in the process. I felt so useful just now. It felt really good to know that my services are still helpful, even though my stature is completely small now.

The approach to the stairs was uneventful, although the stairs themselves appeared as if they would likely kickstart an event, seeing how old, damaged, and raggedy looking they were.

_Odd,_ I thought while we started the ascension to the top he tower,_ where did they get these stairs? Did they purposely make them like this?_

I could hear Rarity groan slightly while she started making her way up the first few steps. It sounded an awful like she was tired, although I couldn't exactly confirm it just yet.

"How much longer until we get there?" Rarity asked frontrunner Twilight. "My hooves are killing me..."

"We've just started our ascension, Rarity." Twilight bluntly replied.

"What a long way to go, though..." I meekly added, "I mean, just look how high this staircase goes!"

Hypothetically speaking, as soon as I finished that statement, you could hear the eyes popping as the group gazed upward at the towering staircase. This spiraling staircase reminded me of how Mario has to ascend up to the skies and descend to the bottom of the ocean, into the depths of a fiery, lava-filled castle, thwarting the plans of a freaking giant turtle day in and day out, over and over again, just to save the princess. Then everything is put on hold when they race go-karts together or play tennis. Seriously, Nintendo?

"Well, uhh, shall we proceed upwards?" I uncomfortably asked.

"Robert's right," Princess Cadance chimed, "the quicker we climb up, the quicker we can reach King Sombra and Discord."

I heard Lunar whisper something to Twilight in the process, probably purposely doing so since it looked like he knew our voices would echo off of the walls.

"Easy for him to say," he whispered to Twilight, "he doesn't have to walk up these stairs."

Twilight giggled lightly while I grew cross. I wanted to say something towards Lunar, but opted not to due to size difference. We all then resumed navigating our way up the long, tiring staircase. Riding on Rarity's back, I began to slowly nod off and fall asleep. As I began to fully escape reality, the last item that passed by in my head was to hope to not fall off Rarity's back. The last thing I wanted was to be left behind by accident.

* * *

"The Elements," Twilight panicked, "why aren't they doing anything?"

"What did you do to them?" Princess Celestia demanded.

__What's going on?__I thought to myself.

I looked around and checked my surroundings. Apparently, I was normal size and was standing between Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Behind us was Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance. Princess Luna and Prince Lunar, on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen.

"Isn't this a wonderful surprise!" A new voice stated.

__That voice!__I shrieked, which is something I rarely ever do to myself. __It sounds too familiar!__

"What have you done to the Elements of Harmony, you freak!?" Rainbow Dash demanded to know.

"How dare you speak to your princess that way!" Another voice boomed.

__Princess?__I asked myself, only to be stopped by a magical attack striking me down.

"Robert!" Everyone screamed.

"Ohh...my head..." I groaned.

"Take that as a warning, you ungrateful whelp!" The second voice stated.

"Robert," Fluttershy cried, "are you alright?"

"No..." I coughed. "My head is spinning round and round, like a record player, round, round, round..."

Although I had a dazed look in my eyes, I managed to see Twilight's concerned look and everyone else's feared look they had. Shortly thereafter, I noticed that all of the ponies turned back around, offering their attentions back towards the two voices.

"What have you done to the Elements!?" Princess Cadance demanded.

"Explain yourself, Princess Luna!" snapped Princess Celestia.

"I've told you time and time again, do _**NOT **_call us that name, _**ever**_!" Princess Luna yelled.

"Calm down, Princess Luna!" I managed to shout, feeling some tense pain mount on the inside of my body, namely, my lungs and heart.

"Thou don't get us, does thou?" Princess Luna smirked.

"Robert's right," Twilight feebly added, "you have to calm yourself down, Princess Luna. None of us wants to see you damage yourself."

"How can thou stop that which is unstoppable?" Princess Luna replied, blasting us all to oblivion.

"You cannot stop the queen of the eternal night!" The second voice shouted, adding to Luna's devastating magical beams.

"Lunar!" Twilight cried. "You need to stop!"

But he didn't stop as Lunar and Luna continued their onslaught to the ponies, myself included. Dodging a nearby beam of magic, Celestia composed herself, standing up to her corrupted sister.

"Princess Luna!" Celestia shouted. "Stop this, this moment!"

"Twilight!" Princess Cadance worriedly yelled.

"From this moment forward," Princess Luna started, "we shall forever be known as Nightmare Moon and my night will rightfully last forever!"

Some lightning and thunder kicked in around Nightmare Moon's long, flowing mane for an additional effect. Princess Celestia tried to reason with Princess Luna - Nightmare Moon – and Prince Lunar – Twilight's Lunar – but was unfortunately struck down by some magic that came from a new source. I had backtracked the magic to its point of origin and was shocked to find out that the originating point was Princess Cadance's horn!

"Sorry it had to be this way, Princess Celestia!" Cadance menacingly said.

"Ugh...Princess...Cadance?" I grunted and struggled to say. "But...but, why?"

"Because this is how it was meant to happen!" snapped Cadance, striking me down permanently with one final blast of magic.

__This can't be happening___,_I thought,__it just can't...__

I heard hoofsteps come slowly over towards my position, three sets of hoofsteps to be more specific. I looked over my collapsed body and saw Nightmare Moon, Prince Lunar, and Princess Cadance tower over me.

"You've interfered with our plans one too many times!" Cadance spoke.

"Now you must be dealt with!" Lunar added.

"And you shall be punished," finished Nightmare Moon, stomping one of her heavy hooves on my body, "permanently!" She stomped on my body yet again.

I screamed out in pain, coughing up an alarming amount of blood in the process. I saw Cadance step forward a bit and gaze down at my beaten up body. She began saying something but, due to the amount of blood I had lost, I had started fazing out and began to lose consciousness. I saw Cadance tip her head over and jab her horn into my body, delivering the final blow that sent me spiraling into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

"Gah!"

I found myself back as my "old" self - tiny, perched on Rarity's back, alive - as if nothing had happened at all. Apparently, however, my scream seemed to startle everypony else. Rarity jumped at the sound of my scream, almost causing me to fall off. She turned her head and began asking me if everything was fine.

"Everything is alright, sweetie," I replied.

"Then why on earth did you shout like that?" Rarity questioned.

"Umm...I felt something crawling around, umm, my mane and that frightened me," I lied, "I'm sorry if I scared any of you."

"It's fine, Robert," Twilight answered, stepping up to face me, "it was an accident. Accidents happen from time to time."

"Thank you for understanding, everypony." I spoke as we began continuing up the staircase.

"You're welcome, Robert." Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight replied in unison.

We pursued upward a little further before meeting an unusual door at the top of the staircase face-to-face. We all crowded around the door as Twilight began saying something.

"There it is," she started, "the door to the throne room..."

"Beyond this door lies Discord and King Sombra," Princess Celestia reminded us, "it is within this room where harmony will return to Equestria after a long absence."

"Everypony ready to go inside?" Twilight asked as Celestia finished her statement.

"We're ready, Twilight," we all spoke in unison (again, the unison thing is completely starting to scare the hell out of me).

"Then let's bring back harmony to Equestria!" Twilight assured us.

Facing the doors, Twilight had bursted through them and ran into the throne room, closely followed by the rest of us. Inside was a large, dark room, however, neither Discord nor King Sombra were anywhere to be seen. We had approached the thrones slowly, noticing that we were the only ponies inside the room, which was unusual to the maximum since there was only one way in and one way out, and this was the location where Discord and King Sombra had been ruling, according to Twilight and the others.

"So," I began, "where are they?"

"Are you sure we're in the right castle, Twilight?" questioned Pinkie Pie.

"This is the castle they have ruled from the last couple of years," Twilight replied.

"A+ for the brainiac!" A sinister voice spoke.

That dragged our attention away from each other and we began frantically looking around the room for the source of the voice. Well, putting it in perspective, Twilight, Rarity, along with the others were looking around frantically. I, on the other hand, was looking in the spot you'd least expect to find anything: above our heads.

I looked up, using my keen senses to locate any moving activity above us. The typical creature can't stay perfectly still at all; they have to move, as per their breathing. No matter how hard someone or something tries to remain still, they will be spotted because they are moving ever so slightly. I know that for a fact because, when I was younger, I used to go out into the nearby forest along with a few of my friends, and we'd play Capture the Flag with our paintball guns. I was always a sniper since my senses could easily locate anyone at any moment. I never got shot, but as for my friends on the enemy team, they always saw my paintballs splatter across either their chest, their helmet (which, on a side note, even though it is illegal in most types of combat, we made it so that only the snipers could aim for the head and, should anybody get shot in the head by a sniper, their "respawn" time was doubled from fifteen seconds to thirty), or their legs, if my aiming was off a bit. I could spot anyone within the shot/blast radius easily and always made myself known. Back home, I was known as the "Ghost Sniper," a name that was given to me by my friends since I was silent, but deadly. Here, it was no different. I looked up and began searching for any slight movement. As my eyes neared the ceiling space around the door, I noticed a body up on the ceiling and made them known to everyone.

"He's over near the doorway, on the ceiling," I alerted everyone.

Everyone's head turned towards the ceiling around the doorway, though nobody believed me since their senses weren't as keen as mine were, so they failed to spot any movement.

"There's nothing there." Rainbow Dash spoke.

"I give you my word that they are there," I replied. I turned towards Twilight, "Go ahead," I said, "hit it with a magic beam or something."

"Alright," agreed Twilight, "but only because you seem so sure of yourself."

"Thank you." I happily obliged as Twilight shot the dark figure with some magic.

"It seems as if you know your stuff, Robert," the being stated, slowly falling to the ground as the magic Twilight was offering was pelting them.

"How do you know my name?" I hissed.

"Because you're the one the prophesy foretold of, stupid!" They replied, slowly approaching us all.

"Not. Another. Step!" I warned.

"And what are __you__gonna do about it, hmm?" The being mocked. "You can't use any magic now, not after what King Sombra did to you!"

"How do you know that!?" I demanded to know, wanting to give a piece of my mind to this beast, unfortunately knowing that I couldn't really do any physical damage to them.

"Because I was the one who told him to do that!" The being answered, stepping into some dim light to reveal themselves.

"And what have you done with King Sombra, Discord?" Princess Luna asked.

"He's being taken care of," Discord sinisterly replied, "permanently!"

"Sure he has," scoffed Lunar, "you were all goodie, goodie friends before. Why would you break up with him now?"

"That is none of your business, you brat!" Discord shouted towards Lunar.

"You neigh talk like that to my student!" Luna responded, defending Lunar by firing a warning shot to Discord.

_Lunar is Luna's student? _I thought, seeing the signs of connectivity now. Lunar, Luna...should've been easy to make that kind of connection, right?

"Former student, actually," Lunar smiled at Luna, also firing off a warning shot to Discord, "and if you think we're here to simply have a nice, little chat with you – newsflash, buddy – you thought wrong!"

I tugged on Rarity's mane slightly so that I could grab her attention. She turned her head and questioned what it was that I needed.

"If it's only him now," I whispered, "why not use the Elements now? I mean, it's not like we have to deal with two enemies simultaneously anymore. Discord foolishly took care of that for us."

"I'll bring that up with Twilight." Rarity told me, turning and facing Twilight.

Discord failed to notice Rarity as she began to approach Twilight fairly slowly. Once Rarity was within distance of Twilight, she whispered over my suggestion and nodded. Twilight then glanced over at Princess Cadance, who was overlooking both Twilight and Rarity and, from the looks of it, motioned her eyes towards Discord. Princess Cadance didn't quite understand the hint, so Twilight pointed towards her horn first, then motioned her eyes towards Discord, signaling that Twilight requested that she used her magic to hold down Discord. Princess Cadance understood the hint this time on account of magic aura encasing her horn as she began to hold down Discord.

"Well," began Discord, "this sure is a nice surprise, isn't it? I suppose now you'll all use those precious Elements of Harmony on me now, won't you?"

"Something doesn't seem right," I quietly spoke.

Rarity must have heard my thought since she turned her head around and asked me what I meant by that. I sighed then grabbed Twilight's attention as well, requesting her closer to me so that I could easily explain myself only once.

"What's the problem, Robert?" Twilight kindly asked.

"This doesn't seem right," I replied.

"How so?"

"It's as if Discord wants us to use the Elements of Harmony on him." I answered. "Plus, why would he suddenly get rid of King Sombra? I realize it's been a while since we've seen him, but suddenly King Sombra isn't around anymore? Something just doesn't feel right in this predicament."

"What do you suppose we do then, Robert?" Rarity asked me.

"Honestly," I replied, "this has happened once to me back home and the way I coped with it was that I proceeded to ask numerous amounts of questions - most of which were the same, on a side note - until I got the answers I was searching for. I called it the good cop, bad cop routine...it was...let's just leave it at it was a working routine."

"It would probably do us some good if we did the same to him." Twilight suggested. "And now might be the best time since Cadance has him held down."

"And if things start to get a little out of...hoof, Princesses Celestia and Luna could just add some sturdiness to the imprisonment of Discord with their magic along with Prince Lunar." I added. "So now is probably the only good time we have since nobody is here and we have Discord trapped."

"Sounds like a plan." Rarity praised. "But what do you suppose we ask him?"

"Just leave that to me, sweetie," I said.

"It's up to you, Robert." Twilight told me. "You know how to deal with this better than any of us. We're counting on you."

"I'll do my best, Twilight." I responded as I jumped off Rarity's back and began approaching Discord.

"Be careful, Robert, darling," called Rarity.

Approaching Discord, he looked down, noticing me and laughing at me in the process.

"Well, look who we have here..." Discord spoke.

I approached Discord cautiously, not knowing exactly what the master of chaos was capable of doing while being held down against his will. I was about a few feet away from Discord, though far enough so that I was outside his reach, should he try to stomp on me. I looked up at the draconequus and stared him down, hypothetically speaking, that is.

"...where is he?" I questioned.

"I told you," Discord answered, "I got rid of him."

"So, where is he?" I asked once more.

"I got rid of him." He said.

"And you got rid of him where, exactly?" I continued.

"Robert," Twilight called out.

I turned my head slightly, not taking my eyes off of the master of chaos at all. "Yes?" I called out to Twilight.

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" She asked with uncertainty.

"Sounds like you're wasting your time." Discord added.

"Trust me on this one, Twilight," I answered in reply, "this may take a while, but I know exactly what to do."

"We're counting on you, Robert." Celestia told me.

"I won't fail you, girls." I assured them.

"And colt." added Lunar.

"And colt." I finished, still staring at Discord.

"You're wasting your time, Robert." Discord stated.

"Am I, really?" I questioned.

Reverse psychology was my master plan here. What I was trying to do was woo Discord into the trap and use his own words against him, ultimately revealing the location of King Sombra, his master plan, and, if possible, the history of Equestria these last few years.

"You are!" Discord snapped. I could sense anger in his voice, which was one step in the right direction for me in trying to lull him into my trap.

"So, Discord," I started after a while, "chaos must be a wonderful thing to you, isn't it?"

"Chaos, Robert, is a wonderful, wonderful thing in general!" Discord told me.

"And with great chaos comes great responsibility, am I not right?"

"You know your chaos material, Robert," Discord praised, "I'm utterly surprised by this."

"Well," I kept going, "my tiny size is an example of size chaotic-ness, right?"

"Correct again, Robert," Discord replied, "and size chaotic-ness is an easily fixable type of chaos."

"Oh, is it, now?" I questioned.

"If you'd like," Discord added, "I can make you your normal size in exchange for my release."

"I wasn't born yesterday, Discord," I spoke without hesitation, "two things are true as per your statement. First, this is King Sombra's doing, not yours. Second, if I had agreed to that, you'd request to be released first, then fix me up. Don't get me wrong, as much as I'd love to be back at my normal size again, if we released you, you wouldn't fix me up. You'd instead escape while the timing is right."

"How do you know that will happen entirely?" Discord asked me. I sensed that he was trying to convince me to release him.

"Well," I began, "let's just say that I know how villains work and what makes them tick, so to speak."

"And what do you suppose makes me tick, if you're so sure of yourself?" Discord continued. "Tell you what. You correctly guess what makes me tick, I'll fix you up without releasing me."

"Sounds intriguing," I answered back, "but I'm afraid I'll have to decline that generous offer."

I wasn't stupid in the slightest. That offer wasn't as dreaming as it sounded. Like I said, this was the work of King Sombra, and his magic compared to Discord's were two different kinds of magic – draconequus magic to dark unicorn magic. Plus, I knew that Discord was still trying to lull me into a state where he would be in control of the reverse psychology. I stood my ground and started tugging on this metaphorical rope, trying to position it back in my favor.

"That was a generous offer, Discord," I stated once more, "but, I'll decline that offer. However, chaos, disharmony, and disarray in Equestria is what makes you tick."

"Very well put, Robert." praised Discord.

"Thank you, Discord," I said.

"Once again, Robert," Twilight sighed, "is this going anywhere?"

I turned around and approached Twilight. After coming close to her, I motioned for her to lend me an ear, so to speak. She bent down and I neared her ear so I could whisper my condolences to her.

"I'm trying to lull Discord into reverse psychology." I said. "If I can do that, I'll get him to reveal the whereabouts of King Sombra, his plan, and, in my case, the history of Equestria these last couple of years, but I'll need some more time since this is the master of chaos I'm dealing with."

Twilight pulled away her head and looked down upon me. She nodded slowly as she began to approach Princess Celestia, who probably didn't understand fully what I was doing either. I, on the other hand, turned around and approached Discord once more.

"So," I picked up, "chaos...wonderful thing, isn't it?"

"The best, Robert." Discord replied again.

"I'm just stumped," I slowly stated, trying to drag Discord into my trap indirectly.

"About what?"

"I'm stumped to the chaotic disappearance of King Sombra," I continued, "what happened to him? Do you know?"

"I told you," Discord stated, "I got rid of him permanently."

"So, where is he?" I asked.

"Not here in this room, I'll tell you that." answered Discord.

"And by that you mean...?"

"He's not in the throne room." assured Discord.

"Would he be on the first floor?" I asked.

"Nope." Discord said.

"Second?" I replied.

"Nope."

"Third?"

"Nope."

"Is he inside this castle?" I asked.

"Perhaps." answered Discord.

"...tell me," I said once more, "is he here in this room?"

"Like I would take care of him and leave him in the throne room." Discord scoffed.

__His answer was different to the other ones___, _I thought, __King Sombra is located somewhere inside this room.__

"Twilight," I called out, "could you go along the perimeter of this room and search for King Sombra with the others? I have a strong feeling he's here with us."

I gave Discord a comfortable smirk as I requested that Twilight search the perimeter. I noticed Discord had a troubled look upon his face as I knew that he knew that I was right to trust my instincts.

"What's the matter, Discord?" I asked, playing around with his emotions. "Something troubling you?"

Discord paid his attention towards me once more, trying to successfully get rid of the concerned look he had on his face, though it was no use.

"It's just that you're all wasting your time!" Discord stated, uncertainty sounding within his voice.

"If you're so sure of yourself that King Sombra isn't here," I replied, "what do you have to lose?"

"I have nothing to lose," Discord answered. "You, however, have everything to lose."

"And by that you-"

"We found him, Robert!" interrupted Princess Luna.

I looked over towards her location and saw King Sombra being held down by Princess Luna's magic as well as Princess Celestia's magic. I looked back towards Discord and began toying with him once more.

"I thought he wasn't here." I playfully remarked.

"Well, I, uhh, I thought he wasn't here." Discord quickly answered.

"Well here he is." I assured as Princesses Luna and Celestia dragged King Sombra next to Discord.

Discord gave King Sombra a harsh glare, almost as if their master plan had developed a problem inside itself. I still wanted to play with Discord's emotions and, now, King Sombra's emotions. I wanted to do this until King Sombra reversed whatever he did to me and make me normal size, not fun sized.

"So, King Sombra," I began, "life as a king must be rough, especially with this one here always in your way."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Discord snapped.

"Relax," I stated, "I'm sure it must not be all fun and games ruling alongside this unicorn, am I right?"

"Easy for you to say." Discord replied.

"You'd better watch yourself, tiny!" King Sombra barked.

"You know," I continued, "that brings me to my next point: why am I small? Do you know anything about this?"

"Maybe I do," King Sombra snickered, "maybe I don't. What's it to you?"

"Well," I said, "I'd like to know since I was hoping that whoever did this could reverse it and make me normal sized."

"Well, that isn't going to happen!" King Sombra crossly replied. "That's not how I work, bub!"

"Is that so, King Sombra?" I quickly replied. I began pacing around, which, back home, was a tactic that made people a tad nervous. "Need I remind you, King Sombra, that you are being held down against your will by two regal, beautiful princesses. I'm quite certain that, if I kindly request to do so, they will increase the power holding you down and suffocate you if you don't cooperate nicely."

I gave Princesses Celestia and Luna a quick glance and noticed that they had both nodded their heads, showing that they would indeed increase the power holding down King Sombra if need be.

"So, I'll ask you again," I kindly continued, "if you know who is responsible for my tiny size, King Sombra, I'd love to know so I can request a reversal of it."

"Like I said before, shrimp," King Sombra stated, "That is not going to happen!"

"To each their own, I guess," I replied. I turned towards the two regal princesses and kindly nodded at both of them. "If you would, please?"

"Absolutely, Robert," Princess Celestia answered.

"Of course." added Princess Luna.

I turned back towards King Sombra, smirking a bit. As the power that was holding him down began to suffocate him, I gave off a larger smile. As King Sombra tried enduring the suffocation, I turned towards Discord and warned him as well.

"Don't think that this won't happen to you as well," I began, "because I'm fairly certain that the beautiful Princess Cadance and strong-willed Prince Lunar would do the exact same thing if I kindly asked them, right you two?"

"Of course, Robert," Cadance replied, smiling brightly at Discord and myself.

"Consider this an exception to me not taking orders from anypony," laughed Lunar, looking at Discord heavily.

"Trust me, Robert," Discord said, "that's the least of our problems."

He gave me an unusual grin. I took note of that, seeing how I knew that neither Discord nor King Sombra could be trusted. Call it being overly dramatic or something but, me being an experienced hunter, I could sense when something goes wrong and fast. I trotted back over towards King Sombra, who appeared to be holding his breath a bit. When someone or something is caught in a trap, holding their breath is the last thing they would want to do, since, when holding your breath under pressure, you tend to pass out quicker than from the pain that would be delivered to you, if there was any that is.

"Stop!" King Sombra shrieked, which surprised the (pardon my language) shit out of me.

"What's that?" I questioned immediately.

"Stop!" Sombra shouted once more. "I'll fix you! Just please stop the pain!"

"Hmm..." I began weighing the decision inside my head. "I don't know...what do you think, Twilight? Should we stop the pain so he can fix me?"

"Oh, please!" Sombra shouted, voice a little higher pitched from the suffocation. "For the love of Celestia, please say yes!"

"Hmm..." Twilight throught, herself weighing the decision as well, "I don't know. You promise to fix Robert up if we stop the suffocation?"

"Yes!" Sombra answered, higher pitched voice once more. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"So," Twilight restarted, "how do you feel about that, Robert?"

"I feel hopeful, Twilight," I answered, "and as so, I kindly ask Princesses Celestia and Luna to cease the suffocation, though continue to hold him down."

"Of course, Robert," replied Celestia.

"Remember, Sombra," Luna added, "we'll start the suffocation once more if you don't fix Robert correctly."

King Sombra struggled to breath and grasp for air. He was still being held down against his will, though he struggled mightily for air. Moments later, a dark, sinister aura wrapped around King Sombra's horn and, ultimately, wrapping around my body. I had shut my eyes and started holding my breath (ironic, right? I just finished saying that holding your breath was the last thing you wanted to do, and here I was doing it anyway) as I felt a magical sensation take me away. Soon afterwards, a sound reminiscent of a cork bottle being popped, per say, sounded and I felt a change being to take place. As soon as the unexplainable change completed itself, I opened my eyes and noticed that I was definitely taller, however, so was everyone else!

"What did you do!?" I shouted at King Sombra.

"You asked me to fix you up," Sombra started, "which I did – you're welcome, by the way – but you never said that everyone else couldn't remain the same!"

"Oooh," Discord slowly stated, "that's the oldest trick in the chaos handbook..."

"Sombra," I began, having to enhance my voice since everyone around me was bickering and frightening about their newfound height increase, "need I remind you that you increased the height of the ponies that are holding you down, thus enhancing their power of magic?"

"Checkmate, smarty." Discord replied, winking at Sombra. "You screwed yourself over."

"Shall they demonstrate their new power?" I added. "I'm most likely sure that, due to the Princesses increased height, if they increase their power, you'll most likely die from suffocation."

"Sombra, I suggest you reverse that spell as well." Discord added.

"I didn't think that one through to the end..." King Sombra spoke.

Sombra utilized his magic once more, shrinking everyone back down to their original sizes. None of these previous events should have even occurred, with the exception of me being brought back to my normal size. What I didn't know still was if I was able to utilize my magic. So, I tried something basic - levitation or even lighting up the area - and found that I was able to perform those two actions easily. I had missed my emerald aura very much. It does indeed look beautiful with the light glistening and sparkling off of it.

I turned to Twilight and Rarity and smiled brightly. They returned the smile, but Twilight's quickly faded as she got right back down to business. She alerted me that the Elements of Harmony should end the dreadful nightmare, and I humbly obliged.

"Just one question, Twilight," I continued.

"What is it, Robert?" She replied.

"How do I activate my Element of Happiness?" I asked.

I got a giggle as a response, which confused me a little bit. "Just relax and let your happiness take over. The Element will do the rest."

I nodded, then proceeded to stand next to Pinkie Pie and Applejack. We had all stood together in a long, horizontal line and, one by one, each Element had activated on their own. With the exception of the Element of Magic, my Element of Happiness was the last Element to activate fully, mainly since I was having a hard time tracing my inner happiness. What triggered my Element to work was the thought about this adventure and how much I've grown on this journey, what I've learned about each and everyone, my past life – namely Ariana – and my future life and what was to come here in Equestria.

As soon as my Element of Happiness triggered, the Element of Magic also triggered and a spiraling rainbow, similar to the one that always shoots out of the rest of the Elements of Harmony whenever they were used. The spiraling rainbow shot upwards out of us, reached a peak near the top of the room, bent over, and surrounded both King Sombra and Discord. Although he was once reformed, the Elements of Harmony transformed him back into a stone statue and, having never been previously exposed to the Elements of Harmony, King Sombra had reverted back to his hazy state (reminiscent of when he returned to conquer the Crystal Empire after his thousand year disappearance) and the Elements of Harmony contained the haze.

As soon as the rainbow ceased fire, both villains were fully and successfully defeated. A round of cheers went all around as Princesses Celestia and Luna began to head back to the Canterlot Castle with the stone statue of Discord in tact. Princess Cadance returned back home towards the Crystal Empire as well, and we were all left alone. Another round of cheers went around before we decided to start the journey home.

* * *

A few hours had passed before we had finally arrived back in Ponyville. It's been a long time since I've seen this little, quiet town, but it definitely felt like I have yet to miss a single beat here. I may have missed a lot in the two years that Rarity and I have been gone, but being back home felt wonderful.

Upon reaching the town square, we had all circled around each other, cheered once more for the returning of harmony back in Equestria, and went our separate ways for now. It was late when we arrived home, so we all went back to our homes to sleep for the night before celebrating in the morning, as per Pinkie Pie's request.

Since I still had no true home yet, Rarity allowed me to sleep over at her home, which I appreciated very much. She didn't have to do this, but I was grateful that she did offer me some of her hospitality. Plus, she asked me to stay by her side forever, which I simply couldn't say no to.

Rarity and myself had arrived at the Carousel Boutique shortly after parting ways with Twilight and the others and, being the gentleman I was, I opened up the door for Rarity with my magic, which she praised me for and for my gentleman-like posture. She led the way up to the spare room and, once we stepped hoof inside the room, helped me make the bed with her magic. I had gotten into the bed and, expecting Rarity to go into her room, she stood with me.

"Anything troubling you, Rarity?" I asked.

"Nothing at all," she replied, "I was just wondering if...well...this seems like an absolutely preposterous idea but, I was wondering if, perhaps, you would like to cuddle together, if you're okay with that that is."

"If you want to," I stated, "then let's sleep together."

"Thank you for fulfilling my request Robert!" Rarity chimed, clapping her front hooves together rapidly.

"You're very welcome, sweetie." I said as Rarity positioned herself next to me on the bed.

Her warm body pressed up against mine was magnificent. After a while, I began stroking her mane ever so gently with my hoof, which she let me do without arguing. She had fallen asleep not too long afterwards, as did I, letting my vast imagination carry me away to peace and serenity.

* * *

I awoke with a fright in the middle of the night as I tried my best not to disturb Rarity in her sleep. I began feeling an uncomfortable pain inside my chest and used my magic to keep Rarity stationary as I crawled out of the bed we were in. I had originally wanted to pace around inside the room - try to walk off my pain - but found that my hooves clacked against the ground too hard, so I had proceeded outside to attempt walking off my pain.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked myself once I was outside. "Why am I in so much pain?"

The pain started intensifying and unfortunately grounded me. I tried getting somebody's attention, but in the middle of the night, that seemed virtually impossible. The pain shot throughout my body and a sensation that made me light headed momentarily knocked me out unconscious. I had regained consciousness shortly after losing it, but found myself losing it permanently this time as the pain intensified to an unbearable amount. I collapsed on the ground, and nearly lost out on the front lawn of Rarity's home, although unconsciousness was right around the corner from me. Rarity must have heard me outside since she ran out see what was wrong with me, although I couldn't hear anything. Moments later, I finally lost consciousness out on the lawn with Rarity looking down at me, tears falling from her eyes.

* * *

"Robert?"

"How is he, doc?"

What was going on? Where was I?

"He doesn't look too good, Applejack."

"Does that mean..."

"...I'm sorry."

"Oh, Robert, darling..."

What did this mean? Where was I? How did I get here? Better yet, where was here?

I heard some wings flapping in the nearby distance. I could only assume that Rainbow Dash had been hovering in the air, as she always did, but the possibility of someone else entering the room was always there.

"I came as soon as I heard what happened." A new voice beckoned.

"Is there any way to make him better, Princess Celestia?" Rarity asked.

I was caught off guard twice in that brief time frame. Firstly, I hadn't expected the Princess to visit so quickly after the events with Discord and King Sombra. Secondly, I swear I heard Rarity sobbing in the background. What was wrong with me?

"I'll try my best," Celestia assured Rarity, "but..."

"But what?" Twilight questioned after some silent moments passed.

I heard Celestia sigh a bit. Whether anyone else caught that was something I failed to notice, but I noticed the sigh.

"The prophesy foretold of a hero coming to save Equestria from another world." Celestia remarked.

"Which is what happened a few days ago." Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Right," continued Celestia, "but the prophesy also stated that once this task was completed, so will the hero."

"What do you mean?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"That means that the prophesy is telling us that, since Robert saved us all, his time to leave us is nearing." Celestia quietly replied.

"Then that means that his time here in Equestria is nearing completion," I heard Lunar say, "doesn't it?"

"Unfortunately," Princess Celestia sighed.

"Robert...this means that he is going to die?" Rarity asked through some sobbing.

"That's what the prophesy says, Rarity." Celestia confirmed. "I'm sorry..."

"There must be something we can do to prevent this tragedy from coming true." Rarity pleaded.

"What if we offer him some of our magic abilities, Princess?" Twilight suggested. "It's not much, but I know that our magic is what keeps us unicorns going, so to speak."

"We could try that, Twilight," Celestia responded, "but whether or not it's sure to work is another story."

"I'll take any chance I get if it means a chance of living, Princess." Rarity cried.

Silence fell over for a while. I had my eyes shut the entire time, but after a while, I began to feel four horns touch my body and give off some magical energy. The pain I had in my chest was starting to cease, though it still existed inside of me. I had begun opening my eyes to notice that I was in a bed in a hospital most likely (which explains the doctor part). I looked around and saw Princess Celestia, Twilight, Lunar, and Rarity all touching my body with their horns.

"What *cough* is happening *cough*?" I spoke, resulting in the three horns to be lifted off of me.

Rarity's eyes sparkled as she began to embrace me in a hug. Her sobbing was truly impeccable and I was dazed and befuddled. What exactly happened just now?

I didn't say a single word while Rarity hugged me. I thought it would've felt really awkward if I had said something that was completely irrelevant to this moment, so I stood silent. After a while, Rarity pulled her body away from mine and asked me how I felt.

"I *cough* feel fine, Rarity," I answered.

"Are you sure, Robert?" She replied.

"Completely, sweetie." I said.

Celestia stepped forward after Rarity had pulled herself off of the bed I was laying on. She looked me in the eye as she began telling me something.

"I'll make sure you get the best treatment possible, Robert," Celestia spoke. "It will be my way of thanking you for returning harmony back to Equestria."

"Thank *cough* you, Princess," I appreciated.

I felt woozy after a while. I politely asked everyone if it were alright if I caught a little sleep currently. They allowed me to do so, leaving the room I was in and letting me fall perfectly asleep.

__The prophesy states that I'm supposed to die now?__I thought to myself. __Well, I won't let that happen now...__

* * *

A few hours have passed and all I did was toss and turn in my bed. I couldn't stop thinking about how the prophesy has me dying here or my second chance at living, courtesy of Princess Celestia, Twilight, Lunar, and Rarity. I looked out the window next to me and saw a full moon up high in the sky.

__Nighttime already___, _I thought, __time sure flies by here...__

Just that very instant, I got the craving for some blood. It was unusual, but I wanted to devour some blood in order to quench the thirst that came to me out of nowhere. I felt my canine teeth sharpen and extend themselves, causing me to bite the bottom of my lip, which penetrated the sensitive skin, causing it to bleed slightly.

"That smell!" I said. "That beautiful, beautiful smell!"

Blood had started running down the crease of my mouth as I began sucking it inward. My blood shot down my throat and into my stomach, which relieved the pain inside my body while also quenching my thirst. Sweet...I just killed two birds with one stone by accident.

The blood soon stopped and I soon found out. I desired more blood, but since I couldn't force myself to penetrate my already damaged skin again, I had to improvise.

__Well___, _I thought to myself, __I am inside a hospital. There surely must be blood somewhere inside the building, right?__

I crawled out of the bed, astounded by my new physical strength. I had opened the door to the hallway with my magic and began my quest for more blood. Oddly, I needed it. I desired it, for some strange reason. Weirdly, I craved for more blood and finally, after somewhat extensive searching, I had found it.

I found a package of blood, probably a quart or two, laying on an abandoned cart. I opened up the package and began devouring the tasty, addictive blood. I drank the package dry in a matter of minutes, leaving a red stain above my mouth on my muzzle. I had smelled the remaining blood and began licking it all off.

The blood was all gone, yet I still desired more to drink!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

I awoke the next morning feeling very cheerful, mainly because Rarity was here the first thing in the morning, probably arriving while I was still asleep. She smiled at me, showing off her beautifully white-toothed smile.

"Good morning, Robert!" A cheerful Rarity chimed.

"Good morning, Rarity!" I replied with just as much cheerfulness.

I was still lying on my bed in the hospital, recovering from whatever it was that was driving me insane a few days ago. The doctor, Doctor Whooves, told me that I'll be here for about a month before he can let me go. Rarity, on the other hand, took this as an opportunity to get away from her work to check up on me each and every day.

I was lying in a room to myself with the blinds shut. The room, though the light is poor and visibility is horrid, was simply too hot for me with the shades open. Rarity had begun opening the blinds to the room, but I managed to quickly stop her from doing so.

"Why don't you want me to open up the windows?" She asked me. "Don't you want some fresh air?"

"I'd love some air, Rare," I playfully responded, "it's just that, whatever happened to me left my skin extremely sensitive to light and heat now."

"...if you say so, dear." She answered back, seeming to buy my words.

My intensified smell could smell the aroma of blood and, since Rarity was the closest pony to me, all I could smell was her blood...her sweet, delicious, mouth watering, blood...

**Snap out of it, you fool!** my inner thoughts prompted me.** You're talking about the pony equivalent of a girlfriend here, you know.**

I know, but her blood is just...it just smells so good right now...

**Don't even think about it! How do you think she'll react if she found out what you are or what you did last night?**

You're right...but how do I sidestep that? It's not like I can keep a secret for the remainder of our lives...that's a bit over-the-top, you know.

**Why not tell her when the time seems just right? I'm sure she'll understand, right?**

No! If I told her what I've become - a monster - things will never be the same between us both.

**You're right...looks like you're gonna have to play this smooth for the time being...**

Told you so...I just hope the unusual behavior towards the sun, blood, and garlic doesn't give me away.

**Hey, you never know. For all you know, she would accept that unusual behavior. Hey, they've accepted you while you were tiny, what's different about that now?**

"Is everything alright, dear?" Rarity asked, noticing how I was licking my lips.

Snapping out of my monstrosity, I answered her question with another question (what a plot twist!).

"I have a random question for you, dear," I said, "have you ever donated blood before?"

**Smooth, Robert...real smooth...let's just tell her right off the bat what you are...**

"As a matter of fact, Robert," Rarity started, "I actually donated some blood before. It feels nice to help out others indirectly."

So the blood she donated must be around here somewhere...if only I could find it. It must be somewhere in this hospital, right?

**Robert, buddy, neither you nor her had been here in a few years. What are the odds her blood is still looming around here and what are the odds you'd find it? Better yet, why do you want to devour your marefriend's blood? That's sick and disgusting! If you're going to feast on blood, at least leave hers out of it! Matter of fact, leave hers, Twilight's, Lunar's. Rainbow Dash's, Fluttershy's, Pinkie Pie's, Applejack's, and anyone else you know, leave their blood out of your mouth!**

"Why do you ask, Robert?" Rarity asked me shortly afterwards.

"I just thought it'd be nice to know that I am in the presence of a heroine." I replied.

"Oh, I'm no heroine, Robert." She spoke.

"You are to somepony out there." I assured her.

We slowly approached each other thereafter and gave each other a little kiss on each other's cheek. Pulling my face away from hers, I began to feel my canine teeth sharpen themselves, so I concentrated to the maximum on reversing the sharpening, and quickly.

**Hurry up, Robert! Don't want Rarity to know about the teeth yet, now don't we?**

No, I do not...I thought I made this clear a while ago.

**I thought so too, but apparently it wasn't enough...then again, this is _you_ we're talking about...**

Suddenly, Doctor Whooves came in and alerted Rarity and myself that visiting hours were almost done. As soon as he left, both of us glanced over at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was nearly nine o'clock in the evening!

"Time sure flies by when you are with your loved ones, right Rarity?" I asked.

"It sure does, dear," she replied back, hopping out of the chair she was in. "I'll be back tomorrow again, Robert." She neared my face once more, caressing it gently, then giving me a kiss on my lips. "Sleep tight, sweetie."

"I will, dear," I replied as she stepped out of the room.

**Good boy, Robert, you made it through _ONE DAY_ without devouring your marefriend. Congratulations. One day down, a shit load more to go.**

Hey! Don't talk like that! But, you know, now that she's gone, in only about three more hours, we can search for your feast that you oh-so desire...how's that sound?

**THAT sounds wonderful! Now how do you want to pass the time by?**

Sleep?

**Sleep.**

But I'm not tired, that's the thing...

**So what do you suppose you do about that? In case you forgot, we're stuck in this hospital.**

I don't know...I don't have a book or anything to do...

**There is that television set up there in the corner, you know.**

It's not that easy, for your information...

**How so? Explain yourself.**

Well, had we been back home, that box would've acted as a safe haven since you can get literally everything on TV...however, we're here...and that is the first TV I've ever seen in this world, you know. I don't recall seeing a TV on the show.

**You don't recall a lot of things being seen on the show, mister...plus, you've been absent for a few years. Who's to say that technology hasn't advanced significantly here and they haven't** **discovered the wonderful, wonderful world of television?**

I'm not one to say that, but I am one to request some blood entering my system, preferably now!

**Not now...give it a few more minutes, then we can prepare ourselves for the feast of a lifetime! In this hospital, there is certain to be gallons of blood just laying around here!**

* * *

Later on – much later, to be exact – when all the ponies were asleep for the night and I was finally left alone, I had begun the search to satisfy my crave. It wasn't too hard, seeing how we were in a hospital, but I had to travel to a different floor just to get some of that delectable and delicious blood in my system. It was a bit of a walk, but it was worth it once I found some blood finally.

**Go on, Robert. Take it...you've earned it after saving Equestria from Discord and King Sombra. Sure it may have taken a while, but you were able to do it. You've earned this.**

I snatched the blood and tore open the bag it was in with my canine teeth and scarfed down the delicious blood. Actually, I was in heaven and paradise, seeing how there was about five or six bags of blood laying before me. This was perfect for me - bags of blood, nobody around me, all to myself. Hell, I might have become a monster, but if my reward is this scrumptious blood, I'll take it!

"Hey!" Someone shouted. "What are you doing!?"

I stopped devouring the blood and faced the pony who had spotted me. They were a lightly colored Pegasus mare and, by the sound of it, a pretty brave one too. She had a relatively dark colored mane and tail and began approaching me.

**Think fast, Robert! You're a blood sucking, blood devouring monster now! How do you think the public would react if they knew a monster was so close at heart to them? That won't sit nicely with everyone.**

So, what do I do? I don't want to kill her, but I cannot make a break for it...I'm still technically a patient here and if they found out I was no longer in need of there assistance or that I wasn't even in my room, they would figure something out. I've been here mere days and my condition takes time to heal itself, but not this fast.

**You don't want to kill her...you, my friend, are a monster! How do you think that sounds? 'I don't want to kill her.' You make Boos from Mario seem like they're killing machines if you don't want to take care of this mare...**

I really don't! I'm not a killing machine, you know!

**Listen to yourself, Robert! What monster doesn't kill!? Especially your kind! Your kind always kills things and beings! You'd be either a laughing stock or a disgrace to your kind if they found out!**

My kind, huh? Name me one pony who is exactly like me and I'll do what my kind is supposed to do.

**Do you really want to know?**

Yes!

**You sure?**

Yes!

**Positive?**

For the love of god, spill the brand already!

**Alright, but only because you so desperately want me to.**

So, who is exactly like me?

**Rarity, Robert.**

Rarity? What, are you out your damn mind?

**Well, it is your mind we're talking about, you know...**

That may be so, but why would you suspect Rarity of being a monster like I am?

**Think about it...the one time you were really close for an extended period of time was the only time it took for you to become one of then. Coincidence or proof? She made you what you are, you know, whether you like it or not.**

I don't know...

**Well, news flash, Picasso...you're being hunted down right now. Look ahead of you.**

You're right...I mean, I'm right...

**Thank you, now, if I was in control right about now, I'd either run away, which would _never _happen, or kill this Pegasus.**

I told you before...I'm not a killing machine!

**Listen to yourself! You're a monster, but you don't kill! That, my friend, is what I like to call blasphemy!**

Well, it's not that I don't want to kill...I just don't know how...

**Here's a tip for you: you see those fangs that are growing in at the moment? Yeah...use those to start!**

But-

**It's either you or her, you know...**

"What are you doing sneaking around in the middle of the night!?" The Pegasus mare asked me.

I felt my fangs sharpen themselves and the aroma of blood in the air was excruciating. The Pegasus mare attempted to grab my left front hoof, but I ducked out of the way, throwing her off balance. I turned to her quickly, aiming for her neck and sank my teeth into it, drawing out some of her tasty blood.

The Pegasus screamed out in horror, most likely waking up and frightening the disabled that lay imprisoned in this hospital. They could not help this Pegasus but could only listen as the life was being drained from her as she slowly died.

"Precious, precious blood!" I shouted while devouring the blood and flesh of this Pegasus.

Once I was satisfied with myself, I let the body drop to the floor and made my way back to my room. I noticed the body flailing and struggling for air, but unable to move to safety. Moments later, the flailing stopped and she had died. She died at the hands - hooves - of me.

**Now see? How did that feel?**

It felt pretty damn good!

**Good boy, Robert. Now wash yourself up. You have some blood stains on your coat. Best wash those off and not alert anyone what you have done just now. Now, you're a full fledged murderer of the ever so lovely night.**

Good call...

I wobbled towards a nearby restroom and proceeded to wash my blood spattered coat clean. It was hard work, washing off red blood stains, but manageable and doable, since the blood was fairly recently put on me. I managed to rid myself of all the blood and de-sharpen my fangs while navigating back to my room for the remainder of the night. My quench for thirst was satisfied, thanks to the gruesome Pegasus that tried to stop me, and I was dreadfully tired. I needed my sleep and I needed it now.

Upon reentering my room, I laid flat on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The monster within me was satisfied with the killing I just performed, though the sane pony side was dreadfully guilty having just killed an innocent pony just doing their job. I shut up my sane pony self and let the monster take over within me.

Tell me, what else am I able to do?

**What do you wish to know?**

Well, you seem to know more about me than I do.

**This is true.**

So please, tell me everything I don't know.

**If you want to, sure.**

Thank you.

**Where to begin? Well, for starters, Rarity is the pony who converted you from what you were to what you are now. You have super strength and your speed has increased as well, making you faster than even Rainbow Dash. Umm, let's see...what else is there?**

Can I change forms? Can I take the form of a bat? Bats are common for this type of monster to transform into, you know.

**I do know that, but that's physically impossible for you to do. Only the head can do that and even then it's a pain in her ass.**

Her?

**Well, Rarity is the head vamp, in case I never told you.**

That's nice to know, I guess...

**You're nocturnal. It hurts your skin when you go out into broad daylight and it will slowly eat away at your life! So you need to watch out for yourself because once this life is finished, so are you.**

I'll keep that in mind, thanks for telling me.

**Anything to keep us both alive for as long as possible. Remember, we are technically immortal since age won't kill us, though the sun will over time.**

Right...and one more thing.

**What is it?**

If Rarity and I are the same, why does she get to go out into broad daylight and not get hurt?

**She has a protective invisible coat that protects her from the sun's harmful rays. If you explain to her what you've become, which I don't recommend doing yet due to our current location, she'll most likely teach you how to protect yourself as well. This means that you'll get to keep in contact with all of your friends.**

That sounds good...I'll ask her once we check out of the hospital.

**Which is what I was going to recommend on the first place.**

Great minds think alike, you know.

**Well, we are the same mind having a conversation. I'm your monster side talking to your living pony side, which, on a side note, will also be immortalized, unless you go out into the sun for a tremendously extended period of time.**

How long can I stay outside before dying?

**Beats me...nobody knows the answer to that and nobody wants to find out.**

You say nobody as if there are more. Are there?

**No. Just you and Rarity.**

I'll hold you to that, you know.

**And I can promise you, I'll hold you to that as well.**

Suite yourself, my friend. Now if you don't mind, I am going to go to sleep. There isn't much to do here now-

**Except kill and feed off other ponies, you know.**

I'll pass and just go to sleep. Wanna keep up my strength, you know.

**Suite yourself...just remember what you are and what you're capable of now.**

It'll be hard not to...

* * *

The next morning, I awoke fairly early and just in time for Rarity's daily visit. She seemed to be in a cheerful mood, which brightened my mood up significantly. Rarity sat down next to me and I looked directly into her beautiful azure colored eyes.

"Hello, Robert!" A pleasant Rarity said.

"Hello, dear." I replied back.

Should I tell her?

**It's your call if you want t-**

"Robert, darling," cried Rarity, "what happened to your neck?"

"My neck?" I asked, unaware of what exactly she was talking about.

"Dear," continued Rarity, "are those...bite marks?"

"Bite marks?" I questioned.

"Sweetie," Rarity quietly spoke, leaning in towards me, "are you...what I think you are?"

"What do you think I am?" I replied.

"Are you...umm...a vampire?" She squeaked.

I sharpened my fangs so that I didn't have to answer and stunned Rarity. She covered her mouth with her hoof and started sobbing heavily. She reached out and felt my bite marks, ultimately collapsing her head on my chest.

"Oh, Robert *sniff*," Rarity sobbed, "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to do it..."

"It's okay, Rare," I replied, "you gave me the gift of life, you know."

"But *sniff*, I penetrated your ski-i-in..."

"And you made me immortal." I stated.

Rarity pulled her head up off my chest and slowly began to cease her crying. I stroked her mane ever so elegantly, and whispered to her ever so quietly.

"You gave me the greatest gift of all, sweetie," I whispered, "you gave me an eternity to spend with you."

"*sniff* Do you really mean that, dear?" Rarity replied.

"I meant every word, Rare," I answered.

Rarity smiled through her tears and approached my face. She gave me a kiss on my lips, and I exchanged a kiss upon my lips with a kiss upon her lips. We exchanged a few more loving and passionate kisses before she finally pulled away and fluttered her eyes at me.

"Have you drank anypony's blood yet?" She quietly asked me.

"Well," I chuckled.

I was going to explain myself to Rarity what happened last night, but the doctors outside made that easy for me to explain. Outside in the hallways, one of the female doctors had screamed out that a body has been left massacred on the ground and I glanced over towards Rarity, who was wearing a tiny, evil smirk.

"Did that answer your question?" I asked Rarity.

"Yes, it did most certainly answer it, Robert." Rarity replied, fluttering her eyes at me once more.

"Somepony check her pulse!" Screamed the doctor in the hallway.

"How did it taste?" She continued.

"Warm blood has never tasted any sweeter." I slowly answered.

"Would you like some now?" Rarity asked me.

"Are you okay with it?" I immediately questioned, unsure if I would hurt her.

"I'm perfectly fine with it, sweetie," she told me, "we can't hurt each other, you know."

"I didn't know that, actually," I explained to Rarity.

"And now you do, my handsome, strong stallion." She replied.

"Well, in that case," I started, "would you like some now as well?"

"Are you sure about that?" Rarity playfully asked.

"You know we can't hurt each other." I buoyantly answered.

"Well, in that case..."

We wrapped out heads around each other's necks and we penetrated each other's skin. I could feel my blood being sucked out, which was the same amount as I was sucking out of Rarity. Sucking the blood was a easing moment, seeing as it calmed the monster within me down tremendously. It was a soothing moment in my now immortal life that I wish had lasted a bit longer than it did, but when a knock came on the door, we both pulled away from each other, as Applejack would say, lickety split.

"Uhh...come in!" I called out.

The door opened and soon after, Doctor Whooves came in and wore a displeased look on his face. He stared heavily at me and was closely followed by a few nurses.

"Nyah...what's up, doc?" I asked.

"We know it was you." He answered back.

"What was me, doc?" I asked, trying my best to sound surprised.

"You murdered the Pegasus that's outside on the ground last night!" The doc shot back. "We also know that it was you who has been stealing our blood supplies as well!"

"Don't be so irrational, Doctor Whooves." Rarity replied, though she knew that I was indeed guilty as charged; I just told her after all.

"He's a murderer and a thief!" He shouted. "And we've alerted the authorities about those actions as well!"

I glanced over at Rarity, who gave me a quick wink. I looked back over towards Doctor Whooves, immediately coming up with a plan.

"Hey doc," I began, "could you come here for a sec?"

The fool fell for our plan and, when he was next to me, both Rarity and myself attacked and killed him quickly and quietly. As soon as we finished that, I jumped out of the bed and opened up the window while the other nurses ran to go get some help from a couple of stronger ponies.

"The sun!" I screamed. "It burns!"

"Here, Robert!" cried Rarity. "Let me help!"

Rarity casted the protective spell on my body and the pain instantly subsided. I thanked Rarity quickly and then we both jumped out the window and landed on the ground (in case I failed to explain, my room was on the ground floor). As soon as the nurses and other doctors spotted the massacred Doctor Whooves lying on the ground, we had sprinted out as fast as we could, away from the hospital, away from Ponyville and away from our lives.

We had sprinted rapidly towards the Everfree Forest and decided to stay here for the time being, until things cooled down in Ponyville, that is. We had spotted a desolate cave in the distance and went inside of it. Using my keen senses, I made sure that the cave was clear of all creatures that were inside of it. As soon as I determined that we were alone, I collapsed on the ground, and Rarity laid herself on top of me, which I didn't mind at all.

"What are we going to do, Robert?" Rarity asked me, grasping for some needed air.

"We'll stay put here, for the time being," I replied, "once things in Ponyville are calm and okay, then we'll go back."

"How long do you think that will take?" She asked me.

"I don't know..." I slowly answered back, turning to her in the process. "Are you thirsty, Rarity?" I asked her.

"A little bit, dear..." Rarity coughed.

"Here," I offered, bending my head so that my neck was fully revealed, "go ahead. Take as much as you need."

"Are you sure about this?" She asked me, uncertain if she should proceed.

"I'm as sure as sure gets, sweetie." I replied. "Go on and drink up."

"I'll try to be as gentle as possible, dear." Rarity told me as she began to penetrate my skin and suck out my blood.

I didn't mind this at all. Honestly, this was the least I could do since the only reason we were in this horrid mess was because of me. Had I not been caught red...mouthed back at the hospital, we wouldn't be hiding inside a cave.

**Calm down, Robert. You're in this together with Rarity. If you go down, she'll go down with you.**

But now the town is going to know our secret.

**Are they really? You murdered the only one who managed to put two and two together, you know.**

How do you know someone else won't be able to do the same?

**How do you know you'll be able to return back to Ponyville?**

Touché, my friend. Touché.

**Plus you have her little sister Sweetie Belle back home in Ponyville as well. How will she manage to survive without a big sister?**

I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to know whether or not it's safe to go home now.

**You and I both know that it won't be safe for a while...unless you get Twilight to help you guys out.**

No...I don't want to bring Twilight into this mess.

**Why not?**

I put us into this mess, and I'll be the one who takes us out of it as well.

**Your funeral, immortal dude.**

"Thank you, Robert." Rarity said after she finished drinking my blood.

"No problem, dear." I replied.

Rarity was still positioned on top of me while I laid down on the floor of the cave. I hadn't minded this at all. Truth be told, I wanted to keep Rarity's beautiful fur and coat clean and perfect. I didn't mind mine since dirt and dust don't show themselves as obviously on my body as it would on Rarity's coat.

**You sure are the gentleman, Robert, letting your girl lay on top of you to keep her clean.**

I do my best to keep my girls happy and clean, you know. After all, you are a part of me.

**Don't remind me...**

"Robert, dear," Rarity said, filling a silent void, "are you thirsty at all?"

"A little bit," I replied, "but I'll get over it."

"Are you sure you don't want any of mine?" She asked me.

"Not now, my love," I answered, "right now, we need to figure out how we're going to live out here."

**Nice word choice, Casanova. If you want to know how to live out in these parts, the only other thing that can he-**

"Perhaps Zecora could provide us with some help." Rarity suggested.

"Who's that?" I immediately questioned.

**Zecora is-**

"Zecora is a zebra who lives out in these parts." answered Rarity. "She understands slightly what it means to be run out of town, so why don't we ask her for some assistance?"

**She's asking you, you know.**

Well, no shit, Sherlock!

**Hey...no need to be snippy. I'm just saying that since she was the one giving you the answers I was about to give.**

"What do you think, dear?" She continued. "Do you think we should ask Zecora for some help?"

"It's not like we have much of a choice here..." I slowly answered. "The way I see it, we have two rational options: we could either ask her for help or we could sit in this cave and starve to death."

"Which wouldn't necessarily happen since we are immortalized, dear." Rarity said, kissing the top of my head.

**Do you seriously forget that you're immortal sometimes?**

Honestly, I do.

**Why's that?**

Well, for one thing, I died before I came here, you know.

**Right.**

"Let's go visit Zecora then, sweetie." I told Rarity, looking up to give her a kiss on her lips.

"Let's go, dear." She replied before we left the cave together.

Darkness had fallen across the land and I figured that the midnight hour was close at hand. On the ground, creatures were crawling in search for something, and these creatures looked like the ones who would terrorize nearby neighborhoods. A cockatrice roamed about nearby, so Rarity and myself made no direct eye contact at it. We didn't want to get turned to stone here, you know. As Discord once said, stone suits aren't really...stylish. Plus, they looked terribly uncomfortable, although I wasn't one to judge based on looks alone.

"Where do you suppose her home is located?" I asked Rarity.

"I saw we passed it on the way here," she answered, "so we'll just retrace our steps and find her home in no time at all."

"I love how smart you are, dear," I said, giving her a kiss upon her cheek.

"And I love how strong and robust you are, sweetie," replied Rarity, also giving me a kiss on my cheek.

I blushed a bit and rubbed the back of my neck with my hoof, managing to find my bite marks on my neck as well. The marks felt unusual, but I knew how and why they appeared there and was not disappointed or angry in any way imaginable. I smiled back at Rarity as we began to travel back to where we once came from with the hopes of searching and finding Zecora's home for some assistance.

While walking, some tense silence filled the air and all we could hear was the creatures bickering in the night, draining out the sound of our hooves clacking on the ground. Rarity turned her head slightly and began telling me something.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"Like what?" I replied.

"Do you like being a vampire?" She described.

"Besides from the running-out-of-town part," I stated, "I love it very, very much."

"How about me?" Rarity continued. "How did my blood taste?"

"Your blood tasted very sweet, my dear," I said, "just like you."

"Oh, you are such a gentle monster!" Rarity told me, turning around and kissing me on my lips.

"Now tell me," I spoke, "how did my blood taste?"

"Your blood tasted magnificent and also sweet," she said, "much like yourself."

"You, Rarity, are such a beautiful queen." I quietly replied, kissing her on the lips.

"If I'm your queen," Rarity stated, "then I want you to be my king."

"I will be, dear." I smiled in response.

Rarity smiled brightly at the answer as we continued walking and meandering through the forest. Some time later, we had spotted a small light in the distance and approached it. Rarity sounded cheerful in her assumption, claiming that it was Zecora's home, although I wasn't on board just yet. When we finally were near the peculiar structure, that's when Rarity turned to me again.

"There's her home, dear," Rarity stated.

"It looks...interesting..." I lied.

**Nice lie, Robert. You made it sound _REAL_ convincing. That's sarcasm, if you couldn't tell, by the way!**

Shut up. I'm not one for rude comments, you know...

**Clearly...**

"Don't worry about lying, Robert," Rarity told me, "I wasn't too fond of this place either the first time I saw it."

"You can read me like a book," I replied, "can you?"

"To much extent, yes I can."

I don't know whether I should be alarmed, frightened, or appreciative. Are any of those something I should be definitely feeling?

**Try relieved, buddy. After all, you did escape from certain containment and protected yourself along with Rarity from certain doom. Any of those other three words is something you should probably feel later.**

Relieved, eh?

**Canadian, eh?**

Shut up! For your information, I __did__live near the Canadian-U.S. boarder, you know.

**Did it sound like I was judging you?**

Sounded a lot like that, to be honest.

**Cool your jets, kid. It was simply a joke.**

Funny. Very, very funny.

**Focus kid. You're here for something more important than internal bickering.**

Right.

"Shall we, then?" Rarity asked.

"After you, Rarity." I answered.

"Such a gentleman!" Rarity responded. "I made the right choice accidentally biting you."

"The "right choice" accidentally biting me?" I questioned, placing a lot of emphasis on "right" and "choice."

"Sleeping unicorns do still make choices, even when we're deep in our sleep." Rarity explained. "Did you not know that?"

"Uh, no." I said. "Not at all."

"Now you do, dear."

"But, wait," I protested, "are you saying that you dreamt about turning me into this?"

"If we're being honest with each other," started Rarity, "I did..."

I looked at her, emotionless. I played for a great actor, not meaning to toot my own horn or anything. I absolutely loved the fact that Rarity immortalized me since it meant that I could be with her forever, which could theoretically go either way, but letting my face show absolutely no emotion made Rarity tense up a bit.

"Please don't be mad at me..." she pleaded.

"How can I possibly be mad at the unicorn I love?" I replied, sealing my words with a kiss upon her lips.

"So...promise you're not mad?" She quietly replied.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." I said, reciting Pinkie Pie's promise.

"You're the best, Robert," Rarity spoke, "you know that?"

"I can't be the best," I replied, "that would mean I'd be ahead of you, which is simply unacceptable with me. You, my dear, are the best."

Rarity giggled and blushed in the process and I took the time to lean in and offer her a more romantic kiss. I closed my eyes slowly and wrapped one of my front hooves around her neck and kissed her repeatedly, of which she did the same, except for the closed eyes part. That was something I couldn't tell with my eyes being shut.

The sparks flew as we exchanged meaningful and emotional kisses. I absolutely loved the emotion we shared with each other. The emotion. The happiness. The time spent together. The looks. Her appearance. Our hobbies. Our nightly jobs (now, at least).

Our love...

**Way to go, Robert. Physically here for less than a month, and you nailed one of the most beautiful unicorns in Equestria. Granted, it took you a little over a few years, but the wait paid off. Also, granted, if Spike found out, he would try to do everything he can to either kill you or break you two lovebirds up. However, all negativity put aside, I'm proud of you. You sure have crafted yourself a perfectly better life here.**

The feels...why can't I hold them all?

"Mhm...I think it's best we get help now, don't you think, Robert?" Rarity asked, fluttering her eyes at me.

**Those eye flutters...that must be her way of getting what she wants...**

Fine by me. If it meant my woman would be happy, fuck it (pardon the language).

**Must you apologize each time you say a cuss word? We all know that those who see this are just as sane and normal as you...well, maybe not as sane and as normal as you are, but you get the idea here.**

Not sure if you're insulting me, or complimenting me.

**That's left open for discussion. Now get the help you two need! I want to go home already!**

Cool your jets, pushy...

**Just make it quick!**

Fine...

"Let's go, Rarity." I answered.

Rarity smiled at me as we approached the front door of Zecora's home...I think. It was a circular tree so...circles don't necessarily have a front side...right? Either way, Rarity led the way while I loomed behind her, glancing at the peculiar way her home was decorated externally. I heard Rarity knock on the door gently, though I still gazed around at the decorations.

"Hello, Miss Rarity, what a sight. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Good evening, Zecora." Rarity replied. "We're here to see if you can help us out with a problem we're having."

I looked away from the decorations and glanced at the figure in front of Rarity. I had seen the show with my little sister Ariana before, so I don't quite understand why I was so shocked to see that Zecora was a zebra...

**You're a dumbass, Robert. You really don't remember anything, don't you?**

Hey, now!

"And who is this we have here?" Zecora replied. "Do you come from far or near?"

"If you're asking me if I moved from a faraway place," I started, "you could say that, I guess."

"We'll save the introductions for later," Rarity butted in, "but now, we need your help, Zecora."

"What seems to be troubling you?" She asked. "Perhaps there is something I can do."

"Well, Zecora," Rarity continued, "we...umm..."

"Uh...w-we were kind of run out of town, Zecora," I helped explain.

"And we're being hunted for..."

"For reasons unknown." I finished.

Rarity seemed to be having a hard time either explaining our circumstances or coming up with a good bullshit story (sound familiar?). Let's be honest for a second: coming up with a good, detailed lie on the spot is tough. I tried my best helping her "explain" our story.

"We were wondering if..." Rarity started.

"You could help us out..." I finished.

"How can I help you out?" Zecora continued. "I'll be sure to help without a doubt!"

"Well," Rarity said, "could you help us diffuse the situation back in Ponyville or possibly something else?"

I looked at Rarity and knew what she meant when she said "something else." I could read her expression like she could read me. What she meant by that was, "could you possibly help provide some hospitality" or "could you help protect us?"

"I'll gladly help you," Zecora obliged, "because I know that you tell the words that are true."

"Thank you so much, Zecora!" I smiled brightly.

"You have no idea how much this means to us." added Rarity.

"I have a good feeling I do," Zecora responded, exiting her home, locking the door behind her and leading the way back towards town, "now let's go make us some relationships that are new."

"Gladly." Rarity smiled, kissing my cheek as we followed Zecora back to town.

* * *

"There they are!" Somebody shouted.

"There are the monsters!" Someone else added.

"And they're with Zecora!" A third individual observed.

Rarity and myself had trotted back into Ponyville, accompanied by Zecora. Rarity and myself had held our heads high up in the air, pretending as if we were as sincere and true as the next pony in line, though we both knew that the townsponies were completely right with their observations and opinions of us.

"Back away from them, Zecora," the first pony shouted, "they're monsters!"

"Beg pardon," I butted in, "but do we really look like monsters?"

"I'll have to agree with Robert, Bon Bon," Rarity stated, though, like I keep saying, we both knew we were monsters.

"As would I," stated Zecora, "that you call them monsters, I call that a lie."

"It's true Zecora!" Bon Bon shouted.

"It was proven that those two killed Doctor Whooves!" Pony number 2 added.

"If these two had done the act," continued Zecora, "then they most certainly wouldn't be so in tact!"

"You're in denial, Zecora!" Bon Bon shouted.

From the corner of my eye, I witnessed both Twilight and Lunar step up in front of the crowd.

"What's going on here, everypony?" The Princess asked.

"These two ponies have murdered Doctor Whooves!" Pony number two stated.

"These two, Lyra?" Lunar asked, awkwardly pointing towards myself and Rarity.

"Yes!" Shouted Lyra.

Twilight laughed uncontrollably, "These two wouldn't harm a fly! What makes you think that they would kill another pony?"

"We've seen the damage they've done, Princess Twilight!" Bon Bon protested.

"Twilight, do you think two of the Element holders would deliberately kill someone else?" I defended.

"Not at all," she answered, "but why would they think that?"

"That's what we're trying to find out, darling," answered Rarity.

Thank god we were great friends with royalty because if we weren't, let's just say that we'd be...well, fucked!

"Everypony, relax!" Twilight shouted. "As your Princess, please return to your homes! I'll see what exactly happened and properly assess who is responsible."

Mumbles and grunts about Twilight's decision were sounding in the air while everyone dispatched and return to their homes. Meanwhile, Twilight and Lunar proceeded to step right up to us and confront us all.

"Thank you for bringing these two back, safe and sound, Zecora," Twilight thanked, "I'll take care of them both from here."

"Not a problem, Twilight," Zecora replied, starting her progress back home, "it was quite a delight."

Twilight and Lunar waited a few more moments, watching both Rarity and myself thank Zecora as she left the town. Once we were finally left alone, they turned around and blankly told us to follow her. Confused, I quickly asked her if anything was wrong.

"Just follow us," Lunar emotionlessly spoke, "no more questions."

"But-"

"No. More. Questions." Repeated Twilight.

I looked over towards Rarity while we closely followed Twilight while Lunar followed us from behind. I leaned in and quickly whispered something towards Rarity.

"What's their deal, right?" I stated.

"No talking!" Lunar ordered, obviously angry with us both.

Rarity gave off a squeamish smile, as if she knew what was wrong and why Twilight and Lunar were acting like this. I stood up normally once more and noticed that we were quickly approaching Twilight's home.

The distance traveled was little, thus making the trip extremely short. However, I thought about what I had done to the doc...if anyone was the one to blame, it was me. I should be the only one who should pay for what has happened, not Rarity or anyone else.

If anyone deserved to die, it was me...

"Robert," Twilight called, "if you would..."

I shook my head vigorously and saw that we were standing before Twilight's front door. Twilight motioned for me to step inside, so I did, as did Rarity, then Lunar, before she had shut the door.

"What's the matter, Twilight?" I asked. "Why so tense?"

"I want to know why you did it, Rarity?" Twilight replied.

"You know?" I asked, hinting at a lot of shock in my voice.

"That is a secret you keep from none of your friends." Lunar bluntly told me.

"I see..."

"Now tell me, Rarity," continued Twilight, "why did you do it?"

Rarity remained silent. Instead, she glanced over at me, expecting me to help defend her. But how would Twilight react if I told her that I did it?

"Well?" An impatient Twilight retorted.

"She...didn't do it, Twilight." I stated. "I did."

"Wait...you mean?"

"Yes..." I assured.

"But," Twilight started, "how did?"

"I bit him in my sleep and made him one..." Rarity answered.

"You mean?"

"Yup." I answered.

"And that there are..."

"Two of us now." Rarity finished.

"So it was?"

"It was I who did what everyone is blaming me for..." I stated.

"Did you tell him where to get some blood, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"No..." Rarity meekly replied.

"Well then," Twilight continued, turning to face me, "this is your one and only warning. But, you can get blood from me."

"What?" I asked, unsure if I heard what I just heard.

Twilight motioned her mane away from her neck, showing me a couple of bite marks.

"Bite marks?" I asked. "But, that can only mean..."

"Being an immortal does have its benefits, you know," stated Twilight. "Doesn't it, Lunar?"

"One can only hope so," smiled Lunar.

"You see, dear," Rarity stated, turning to face me, "when I first showed Twilight what I have become, she allowed me to suck out some of her blood so that she could clone it and create an endless supply of it. That's where I get my supply from and now that's where you'll get your supply from."

"How long ago was that?" I questioned.

"It had to have been about four or five years ago, right Rarity?" Twilight said.

"That sounds about right." Rarity agreed.

"But then why are the teeth marks still present?" I asked.

"Those are a part of her forever," Rarity told me, "just like your's are and mine."

I ran a hoof down my neck again and felt the two tiny holes in my body. I didn't mind the fact that they were a part of me now, but to know that they remain on the victim forever was astonishing, to say the least...

**Robert, buddy, you have a lot to learn about vampire ponies and whatnot.**

Shut up...

Twilight then stood next to Lunar, opposite from us, and then proceeded to explain to us about the dangers of being vampire ponies and the consequences that were to happen, should either of us step out of line. It was a long explanation from the both of them and, honestly, it was the first time that Lunar hadn't spoken to me in a sarcastic tone in a very long time. Finally, the explanations had come to an end as Twilight and Lunar stared at us both for some time.

"So have we made ourselves clear to you two vampires?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, Twilight," I said emotionlessly.

"You have our word, Twilight, that this will never happen again." Rarity added.

"See that it doesn't," continued Twilight, "because the last thing I need is Princess Celestia breathing down my neck for failing to protect my subjects. Granted, I am the newest Princess and Lunar is the newest Prince and we are still learning new things as we go along, but protection is something that shouldn't have to be taught to anypony."

"I apologize for my actions, Twilight," I stated, revealing tones of disappointment in my voice.

"It's okay, Robert," Twilight replied, "like I told you before, accidents happen. Just see that this type of accident doesn't happen again."

"I'll do my absolute best, Twilight." I assured her.

"And see that he stays true to his word, Rarity," Lunar told her, "after all, you are the head vampire and now have a...companion."

"I'll make sure he stays in line, Lunar," Rarity said, looking at me, "after all, he is my responsibility since he is mine now."

I gave off an interesting chuckle, deciding to extend this playful nature a bit.

"What is it you request, Queen Rarity?" I playfully asked.

"'Queen Rarity'?" Twilight questioned.

"The head vampire, seeing how she is a phenomenal, sophisticated lady, is called Queen by her subjects," I stated, "much like your subjects call you Princess, Princess."

"You are so lucky you aren't small anymore," Twilight told me, "because I still don't like the fact that I'm called Princess just yet..."

Lunar chuckled at the responses given by both Twilight and myself, telling me that I did have a very direct point.

"Either way," Rarity butted in, "your Queen requests something meaningful, if you know what I mean."

"Is this what you meant?" I asked, kissing Rarity on her cheek.

Twilight and Lunar were both in utter shock, almost like they've seen a ghost or something.

"Did you just...?" Lunar asked, trailing off towards the end.

"Guess you haven't told them yet, have you?" I asked Rarity.

"Not yet," Rarity answered, "but now seems like a good time to do so. And that is what I meant, Robert. Your Queen is very satisfied."

"Tell us what?" Twilight requested to know.

This seemed to be driving them nuts, not knowing what we were talking about. I really wanted to toy with their feelings about this, but we were already in enough hot water as it is and the last thing I need is someone of royalty being pissed off even more at me. Ultimately, I chose to be perfectly direct with Twilight and Lunar and tell them both about Rarity and myself.

"Rarity and I are...umm...well..."

The words that had to be chosen to fixate that previous sentence was so fucking hard...words...trillions and trillions of words in the world, but the ones I need aren't coming to mind! The fuck is this bullshit!?

"Are you two?" Twilight started, but stopping since she put two and two together.

"It is what you think it is, Twilight." Rarity said.

"Then let me be the first to congratulate the both of you!" Twilight praised.

"And I will be the second!" Lunar added, patting me on the back, mouthing "good job" to me.

"Thank you, Twilight," I kindly replied, "and you as well, Lunar. I'm sure my lovely Queen also appreciates your comments."

"Oh, Robert," Rarity told me, offering me a kiss on my cheek.

"You two lovebirds best be headed home now," Twilight suggested, "before Spike sees you two."

"Thanks again for helping us out, you two." I thanked as I opened the door for Rarity and myself.

"Just don't go running off biting anypony else, okay?" warned Twilight.

"We gave you our word we wouldn't and we won't, Twi." I retorted.

"Just want to be sure." Twilight replied. "Anyway, I'll see you two tomorrow!"

"Goodnight guys." Lunar added.

"Goodnight, you two," both Rarity and myself said as we headed on back towards the Carousel Boutique.

"Rarity," I started, trying to fill in some silence.

"What is it, my king?" Rarity replied.

I liked the way she said that. It made me feel like a somebody here now. I smiled brightly before I asked Rarity what it was that I wanted to ask her.

"Is your little sister the same as you?" I asked.

"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity responded.

"Yes," I answered, "is she a vampire like we are?"

"Not at all." Rarity told me.

"How's that possible then?" I replied.

"What do you mean, dear?"

"How are you a vampire, but not Sweetie Belle?"

"It's a virus I was born with as a young filly." Rarity explained. "My mother's mother's father was a vampire and he had the same lifestyle we currently have."

"What happened to him?" I curiously said.

"He died from being out in the sun too long," she continued.

Ouch...right in the gut...

"I'm sorry to hear that, dear." I stated.

"Don't be," Rarity quickly answered back, "he was a bit of a cold-hearted spirit, infecting and killing everypony he every lay his eyes on."

"That, uh...that seems interesting...I think..." I spoke.

"To a certain extent." Rarity somewhat agreed.

"So does Sweetie Belle know that you're a vampire?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from what was just spoken.

"She most certainly does, which is good for me." Rarity answered.

Okay, so that's one less pony to tell my condition to...I guess...

We had arrived back at the Carousel Boutique shortly afterwards and had made our way inside. I was incredibly tired, so I asked Rarity if it was alright if I went to sleep for the night.

"But, of course it is dear." She replied, leading me to her bed.

"Really?" I asked sheepishly.

"If you don't mind," Rarity innocently replied.

I smiled some more as Rarity allowed me to lay down on the bed first. Happy, she squeezed in next to me on the bed, pressing up against my body and cuddling with me. I turned my head so that it was now facing her head and proceeded to ask her a question.

"Are you thirsty, my Queen?" I asked.

I loved the fact that I got to say that - Queen, that is. If there was anyone I'd have as a ruler ruling over anyone else, it would be Miss Rarity. Her beauty, her sophistication, her integrity, her optimism, her generosity...

I loved everything about Rarity and loved the fact that she was mine...

I never felt this way about anybody before and I never felt this sure that this is who I was meant to be with. Rarity and I...me and Rarity...Queen Rarity and Robert the vampires...

"I am, actually," replied Rarity, "how about you?"

"So am I, my Queen." I answered.

"So let us quench each other's thirst, Robert, dear." Rarity stated.

We then wrapped our heads around each other's necks and began sucking out each other's blood, which, strange as this sounds, was a bit more romantic than you think it was.

"I love you, Rarity." I said before sucking out some more blood.

"I love you, too, Robert." Rarity added before performing the same action I was performing.

Two vampire ponies in love, expressing their love by exchanging each other's blood with each other. My blood inside Rarity's gorgeous body and Rarity's precious blood inside my body. I love you Rarity, more than anything else in this world...

**She loves you too, Robert.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

I awoke the next morning feeling much better and well rested, something I haven't felt in a long, long time. I looked around, halting my motions and laying my eyes upon the beautiful, sleeping unicorn, body pressed up against mine. Moments later, I saw her open her eyes, fluttering them in an attempt to focus her vision. She looked up at me, smiling brightly, and seemingly very, very happy.

"Good morning, my strong, handsome King!" Rarity cheerfully spoke.

"Good morning, my lovely, beautiful Queen!" I replied with as much cheer sounding in my voice.

"Last night..." continued Rarity, "was absolutely fantastic, my love!"

"And there's more where that came from down the road ahead, sweetie." I added.

I had gotten out of bed slowly and gently, trying my best not to disturb Rarity's serenity and immediately rearranged my mane using my magic. Somehow, it always seems to find a way to get itself messy each and every night. How someone like Rarity or Twilight kept their mane in tact while they tossed and turned during the night is a mystery that I won't find out any time soon.

Rarity soon followed me out of the bed and positioned herself next to where I was standing. We looked into the mirror together as she leaned against my side, fluttering her beautiful, azure colored eyes at me. Her fangs dropped down, changing her eye color from a cool, collective blue, to a fiery and passionate red. I did the same, dropping my fangs as well, and that also changed my eye color from a warm, sparkling emerald green color to the same fiery and passionate red Rarity had. We smiled at each other, facing away from the mirror to get a glimpse of each other in reality. I was planning to kiss Rarity and make out with her this very moment, though that plan was shot down when I saw Sweetie Belle enter the room. Acting quickly, I retracted my fangs, going back to normal for the time being.

"Morning, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Good morning, Sweetie Belle," Rarity replied, bringing in her fangs and changing back to normal, so to speak.

"Hello, there!" Sweetie Belle told me, as if she knew me, trying to play that off well.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle," continued Rarity, noticing that this was the first time we saw each other, "this is Robert."

"Hello, Sweetie Belle," I kindly spoke, "it's a pleasure finally meeting you."

"You see, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, "Robert was staying with us a while ago and I accidentally bit him in our sleep, making him a vampire like me. Sparks flew and...well...let's just say that you'll be seeing him a lot more now."

"How come he gets to be a vampire and I don't?" Sweetie Belle protested, obviously hurt from not being able to be one herself.

"Because I can never do something like that to you." Rarity defended herself. "You can ask Robert himself...I accidentally bit him and his transformation sent him into the hospital and other places."

"Other places?" Sweetie Belle repeated.

"You'll understand when you're older, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, smiling and fluttering her eyes at me once more.

Those eyes...those beautiful, fluttery eyes of hers...more addictive than crystal meth and more powerful than a Ferrari's engine...

Sweetie Belle looked at the two of us as we began to rub our snouts and muzzles together - something some people refer to as Eskimo kissing. She giggled a bit, claiming that we look weird doing that but, she was a little filly after all; she did not understand what it meant to truly be in love quite just yet.

"I'll leave you two. Alone. Together. Alone. Nothing else." Sweetie Belle playfully said while backing herself out of the door.

"And now that she's gone," I slowly said, turning towards Rarity, "we can proceed with the morning pleasures."

"Oh, Robert," Rarity romantically giggled.

I chuckled back at Rarity and leaned my head in towards Rarity's head and we proceeded to exchange meaningful and love-filled kisses with each other.

Again, sparks flew and I wish the time could just stop so that I could enjoy this moment forever...but, life likes to play cruel jokes on me, as you know...

"Good morning, lovebirds!" A playful Twilight beckoned.

Immediately, both Rarity and myself pulled away from each other and humbly looked at Twilight, who had caught us both off guard.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Twilight teased.

"No, not at all," replied Rarity.

"I was," Twilight continued, "I know what you were doing. I saw it and Sweetie Belle told me what you were doing."

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity scolded.

You could hear Sweetie Belle giggle loudly in the background, which I couldn't help but smile at the adorable giggling of a young child. I calmed Rarity down before she did something she would regret.

"Calm down, sweetie," I said, "it's okay."

"She shouldn't have watched us...do...that..." Rarity tried protesting, though she was getting caught being tangled up I her words.

"It's okay, Rarity," Twilight spoke, "you can say it in front of me. I don't mind it. You guys were kissing. You see Lunar and I do it from time to time."

"At least somepony understands." Rarity responded.

I smiled. "Plus, she's going to learn about all that stuff eventually, so what's there to fret about?"

"I...I just don't want her to learn about that now..." Rarity told me. "If Ariana were here and saw us, you'd understand, right?"

"You're right..." I humbly replied. "I would understand..."

"Hate to break the meaningful conversation you two love birds are having," Twilight butted in, "but everypony else is waiting outside to hear what Robert has to say."

"What do I have to say?" I asked, confused.

"They know that Rarity is one," Twilight answered, "now they have to know that you're one as well."

"Do I best show them, explain myself to them, or both?" I asked again.

"It would probably be better to do both, Robert," Twilight told me, "Rarity did, so it only seems right that you do both as well."

Then that's settled then...I'll show and tell them my new self.

"Come along now, Robert," Twilight said, "everypony is waiting."

"Can you help me explain to them, Rarity?" I asked. "It seems better if you explain how I became one and I show them."

"Anything for you, my strong stallion," replied Rarity.

"You're the best, my beautiful Queen," I responded, giving Rarity a little kiss on her cheek before heading on outside to explain myself to everyone.

Boy, this is sure going to feel awkward showing and telling them all what happened...

**You can say that again...**

Shut up and mind your business.

**HA! Mind your own business, that's a good one! Kid, I AM your business if I'm the monster inside of you!**

Just...just shut up!

**Whatever.**

The walk towards the outside was painful, seeing how I was being forced to reveal myself to a group of ponies who I was still trying to gain their trust and acceptance of me. Would I still be viewed the same as I am now...or is it just about to spiral out of control now?

**Dude, just shut up and confess. I'm more than certain that they will still like you for being yourself.**

But what if they don't?

**They will, trust me.**

Are you sure?

**Is the sky blue?**

Not all the time.

**You know what I mean. Here, how about this one: is air invisible?**

Are you even trying anymore?

**Not in the slightest.**

Figured as much...

**It is your head, mind you.**

Must you point out my flaws all the time?

**It makes me smile, so yes.**

Ugh...

We had stepped hoof outside shortly afterwards and sure enough, everyone was standing beyond the doorway. Twilight smiled at everyone, then turned and faced me.

"Robert," she started, "I believe you have something to say. Would you like to say it?"

Instead of saying anything, I allowed my fangs to extend themselves and I showed them to everyone else, receiving mixed results. The more notable result was Rainbow Dash's calling it awesome, other than that, the only negative result I got was Fluttershy's quivering.

"What happened to ya?" Applejack questioned.

"You see..." I began, but stalled since I couldn't find the right words to explain myself correctly.

"...I may have bitten him in my sleep by accident." completed Rarity.

"May have bitten him?" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"May have bitten, did bite, what's the difference, Rainbow?" Rarity asked. "What's important now is that now he is a vampire and needs blood to survive like me."

"And what's also important is that you're mine and I'm yours." I quietly whispered to Rarity, receiving a smile in return.

"You are so lucky, Robert!" Rainbow Dash protested.

"I know that." I replied, knowing exactly that Rainbow was talking about my condition while I was talking about Rarity.

"But you get to go around all night, sucking out innocent ponies' blood, biting ponies in the neck...that is awesomely awesome!" Rainbow Dash continued.

"Now, now, Rainbow Dash," Twilight called, "just because these two are vampires doesn't mean that they can just go around Ponyville or Equestria and infect anypony they want, you know. They may have an advantage in battle, but they have agreed to only suck out each other's blood or drink the blood I make for them."

"Sounds more like being a killjoy, Twi," Rainbow quietly said.

"It's what they promised and I'll make sure they stick to it." Twilight replied, motioning her head towards me as if saying that I'll have to be the one they worry about more.

I let that little display slide, paying more attention towards Rarity. My beautiful, stunning Queen's coat was glistening in this shining light, making it look as if it had cost a million bits to craft it in that way. I loved the way Rarity looked, the way she loved, the way she pretty much did everything to and for me. She was a splitting image of perfection, and I'm head over heels to know that she is mine and I am hers.

"Either way," continued Twilight, "they are more civilized monsters than I've seen before."

"We're the only ones you've seen before," I stated.

"Not true," Applejack added, "Discord was one heck of a monster."

"Granted, you've proven your point," I replied, "but we're the only vampires you've ever seen. That sound about right?"

"Now when you put it like that," Twilight laughed, "then that statement is true."

"I figured as much." I responded, glancing over towards Rarity.

She looked back at me and, by looking into my eyes, she could tell that I wanted to exchange more love and affection towards each other this current moment. However, me looking into her eyes, I could tell that she wanted to do the same, but her eyes also told me to wait and do it once we were alone. I didn't blame her, not a single bit. I didn't want them to know about our love towards each other quite just yet either.

"Well," Twilight fixated, breaking some silence and dragging everyone's attention way from Rarity and myself, "it's still morning. What do you say we go out and have a nice, refreshing breakfast?"

"That sounds wonderful, Twilight," I heard Rarity say.

My focus was on Rarity, though I did manage to hear everyone else agree to that idea as well. Twilight smiled, then began taking us to one of the nearby restaurants for a nice, relaxing breakfast. Rarity and I both knew our limitations on what we could and couldn't eat or drink, so this was going to prove to be an interesting meal for that reason, and for the reason that this would be my first thing I had besides blood since the transformation.

The walk there, as usual, wasn't too long, like I keep saying, since full length distances were never shown (and probably won't be shown) on the show itself. The waiter had seated us all at a larger table and handed out eight menus using his magic. I opened up my menu using my magic and noticed that everything was in this sort of blocky-type text. Putting this in perspective, it was as if someone had scribbled something across the surface in a hurry. Either way, I could not read it and, since Rarity and I are so much alike (I'd like to think so anyway), I figured that I'll have what she's going to have.

**Robert, buddy...**

What?

**This is going to be a long, semi-painful breakfast for you, you know.**

Don't remind me...

**Hey, I'm just being realistic here. How do you plan on getting through this in one piece, so to say?**

Hey, I am a great bullshitter and actor, so I'm more than sure I can make myself seem like I am enjoying whatever I have with ease.

**Betcha 100 bits that that won't happen.**

You're on!

* * *

The breakfast Rarity and myself had along with the rest of our friends was astonishingly well prepared and delicious! I was surprised by how it looked - a tuna sandwich topped by a flower that looked like a daisy - and especially by how it tasted - possibly the best sandwich that I've ever had!

After our breakfast, we all headed toward the park for some nice downtime. Today was nice, refreshing and the weather was similar in almost every single way. It wasn't too hot, which was a shocker for me and my new body type, and it wasn't too cold, which also was a shocker. I had figured that, you know, since my blood is as cold as the night itself, that hot weather or even warm weather, for that matter, would call for an unhappy and uncomfortable Robert. Quite the contrary...for now, at least...

The Ponyville Park was located right next to the restaurant we had dined at. We proceeded into the park, onto the green grass, and under the shade and protection of a nearby tree. The thing about being a unicorn is that it is really awesome. This is probably the part where you're asking yourselves, "Robert, why is it so awesome being a unicorn? What's so great about being a unicorn?" Well allow me to explain.

Unicorns are awesome because some - and by some I mean pretty much the royal ponies, myself, and Rarity – of us can magically spawn up pretty much anything. Twilight made that statement seem like anyone can do it by magically spawning a blanket and setting it down on the ground for us. Twilight set herself down on one of the corners of the blanket, Pinkie Pie setting herself down next to her. Rainbow Dash chose not to set herself down, claiming that it would make her lose her adrenaline. To what, that remains a mystery to me. Applejack set herself down on another corner of the blanket, whereas Rarity and myself sat next to each other on the third corner of the blanket. Fluttershy settled for the fourth and final corner of the blanket, which was the only corner that was covered by the shade from the tree.

Fluttershy's ability to befriend pretty much any little critter that she is near was amazing since her area was swarming with critters within seconds. The rest of a didn't mind the critters, nor did they mind the affection Rarity and myself were exchanging between each other. The affection wasn't much - just the casual head-on-shoulder thing, nothing special - and the critters were nice and friendly with us.

I had begun to daze out, paying all my attention towards my lovely Queen, since the conversation was dull, to me at least. While I was tuned in, Twilight was explaining what she had done with Lunar when she arrived back in Ponyville while the rest did the same. Tuning out, I never turned away from whoever was talking, but I stared behind them and admired the colorful and beautiful scenery around us. The colorful fall weather and scenery was simply spectacular, and I had admired every bit of it.

Oddly, the conversation had steered its way from what everyone had done since arriving back in Ponyville to the annual Running of the Leaves, which was scheduled to happen tomorrow. I myself have personally signed myself up to take part in the run as well as race against Rainbow Dash and Applejack to see who was faster. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I do most certainly believe that nobody is faster than I am. Maybe Rarity, but I've never actually seen her sprint in an event before or at all even (for fun, I mean, not for survival like before).

I stayed quiet during that section of the conversation because only Rarity knew that I was competing in tomorrow's run, nobody else. Rainbow Dash was showboating and bragging at how she was too awesome to lose to someone like Applejack, and Applejack was standing her ground and defending herself against the slanders Rainbow Dash was saying about her. Twilight couldn't help but smile and giggle, while Rarity whispered to me that she knows that I'll win, hooves down. Pinkie Pie defended Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy tried defending both ponies. I shook my head in a friendly matter and simply smirked.

Rainbow bragging - typical.

Applejack defending herself and indirectly bragging - typical.

Fluttershy defending both ponies - typical.

Twilight smiling and giggling at her friends' misunderstanding - typical.

Pinkie Pie defending Rainbow Dash - believable (side note, I have read a bit of Pinkie Dash back home and do believe that that shipping makes the most sense, but that's my opinion).

Rarity not taking part in this quarrel - understandable.

**Robert, you seem to be sure of yourself that you'll win tomorrow's event, though you've never competed in a race before, nor have you raced Rainbow Dash or Applejack before. How can you be so confident in yourself?**

Confidence is key. The more confidence someone has going into an event, the better they'll do, statistically speaking. Plus, I'm a vampire and boosted speed is what I got from the transformation. I highly doubt anyone could keep up with this sleek unicorn!

**Wanna make a bet?**

Anywhere, anytime.

**Good job using Applebloom's words in exactly the same tone, but that won't help you.**

What's your wager?

**I bet you all the bits I have that you won't finish in first at tomorrow's race.**

Pfft! You're on, buddy! This is going to be an easy win for me!

**Don't be so sure of yourself! Don't underestimate Rainbow Dash's speed or Applejack's speed. They may give you a run for your money!**

No offense to either of them, but they won't be able to keep up with my strong hooves, sleek, aerodynamic body, or increased speed at all. In fact, I'll have a hard time finding them after the race is over!

**Don't judge a book by its cover! After last year's race, Rainbow Dash and Applejack are both favorited to win first and second places, respectively.**

And now, come next year's race, I'll be favorited to win first place, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack will be favorited to win second and third place, respectively.

**I'll hold you to those words!**

Don't hold your breath, though.

**Don't worry. I won't.**

* * *

Later that day, when all the other ponies had gone their separate ways and Rarity and myself went home to the Carousel Boutique, we had engaged in more conversation. It wasn't large conversation, but it was some that managed to keep silence at bay.

"Wasn't today simply fabulous, Robert, dear?" Rarity asked me.

"It was," I answered back, "but who's to say that it has to end?"

"Oh?" Rarity replied. "Whatever do you mean?"

I half-shut my eyes and neared my beautiful Queen slowly. I leaned my head in towards hers and kissed her slowly and emotionally. She returned the favor, kissing me with equal amounts of love, possibly even more.. I didn't tell anyone yet, but I secretly got Rarity an engagement ring and I was planning on popping the question tomorrow, just as soon as I crossed the finish line at the Running of the Leaves. I want everyone to see and I want everyone to witness how happy I would become if and when Rarity said yes.

That last part made me nervous...what if she said no? What if I'll make a fool out of myself? What if?

**And this is why the monstrosity has to take over in your head...your living portion is too annoying from time to time.**

What do you mean?

**Stop with the fucking questions goddammit! You sound like an indecisive, teenage girl!**

Whoa, easy now...no need for that language, you know.

**Oh, shut up and make out with your woman. I'll pretend that I'm not here.**

If you insist.

I continued kissing Rarity affectionately and emotionally. We were back in our room with the wonderful and beautiful full moon up high in the night sky being our only source of light. Sweetie Belle had long gone to sleep prior to us even returning home. She seemed really tired, probably the result of more crusading with Applebloom and Scootaloo earlier today, for we did notice them running around rapidly and hectically - probably looking for something to do in order to get their cutie marks - while we passed by.

The time I spent with Rarity seemed to slow down tremendously while we were together. It seemed to be slower than real time when we weren't together and was much more slower during the times we were together. I didn't mind it at all for one of two reasons, the first being that time moved by very fast here in this world. The second reason was that I was with Rarity while the time was slowed down.

"Robert, darling," Rarity quietly said, pulling herself away from me for a quick second, "you have a long day tomorrow. I think we should get some rest for your big race tomorrow."

I quickly contemplated the idea and suggestion in my head, deciding for her suggestion and gather some much needed sleep. I really wanted to do...other...things to Rarity tonight, but, making my Queen happy is what I want to do, and if she wants me to rest up for the race, then that is what I'll do.

"You win, my Queen," I replied, "I'll go to sleep."

"Who knows," continued Rarity, "you may be in for a surprise tomorrow!"

_You don't know the half of it, beautiful._

I had gotten into the bed with Rarity, who had gotten under the covers after she said that. I looked over at her and slowly whispered-

"How about a little good luck for tomorrow, beautiful?"

Rarity smiled, "Sounds fair, my King."

She leaned in towards me and kissed me elegantly on my lips, which I did to her as well, before she pulled away and told me to go to sleep.

"Goodnight, Queen Rarity," I quietly said.

"Goodnight, King Robert," replied Rarity before turning off the light.

She fell asleep almost instantly - a shocking surprise to me, to say the least - while I remained awake and stared at the full moon that was high up in the sky. I usually get like this and act like this prior to something huge that happens either the next day or in the near future. Last time something like this happened was my college graduation...

I hadn't slept in days, believe it or not, and it was all I could think about. Figures my senior year of college should be my easiest year, right? No...it was my fucking hardest year! Especially the spring term! I don't want to go into full detail about what happened - that's a story of its own - but I'll say this: I may be a smart cookie and know pretty much anything, but I barely fucking passed the spring semester, thanks to my fucking cancer back home...forcing me out of class nearly every other damn day, making me fall behind and have a hard ass time keeping up. The worst part is that my professors wouldn't cut me any slack, despite being locked in a hospital bed day in and day out! At my graduation, I had to give an inspirational speech for overcoming all odds and graduating. I did, and I was proud of it. It was a short speech - about a minute long - and I'll never forget what I said at the end.

"Nobody helped me...nobody cut me any slack...I earned this! Take that society! Take that professors! Take that life! You all knocked me down, but I got up and finished you off!"

Turns out the life part knocked me out in the long run, like you know, but it led me to this so, Robert, one, life, zero!

Either way, reverting back onto the main track here after that long sidetrack story, I stared up at the beautiful full moon in the sky. It was hypnotizing, to say the least, and sparkled in the night sky. This full moon was beautiful...probably the second most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on in this world...the first being my soon-to-be-wife, Rarity.

I looked away from the moon and stared up at the ceiling. I couldn't sleep, like you know, but not because I was nervous about the race...

I was nervous because of the question and the answer...

**For the love of Celestia, shut the fuck up about that already!**

Why should I? It will change out lives either for better or for worse!

**Dude, have you ever seen Rarity act like this towards anyone else besides you? What are the odds she would say no to you tomorrow once you ask her to marry you!?**

What are the odds that the sun could burn us all to oblivion?

**That would never happen!**

But it could.

**But it won't!**

But it could.

**And it won't! You ask her to be your wife, she'll say yes! Trust me on this one...I know these sorts of things.**

Yeah, suuure you do.

**To each their own, I guess.  
**

Yeah, to each their own...

**You should get some rest. You got a long day tomorrow, you know.**

You sound just like Rarity...

**Riddle me that. Now go to sleep.**

Okay...

* * *

The next morning, I woke up really early and prepared myself for the long race ahead of me. I stretched out my legs and my neck and did some suicide runs out in the back yard in order to warm myself up. It was only about nine o'clock in the morning, but the race started in only a half hour. Rarity had already left for the race with Twilight and Lunar – who was gone the entire day yesterday taking care of some important royal duties with Princess Luna, forcing Princess Celestia to raise the moon herself last night. Rarity had promised to meet me at the finish line when the race was completed, so that's where I decided to pop the question. I managed to grab the ring I got her and smuggle it away from her and hide it in my mane while I stepped out of the house. During the race, I was going to have my magic hold it in place, which wouldn't result in me losing it, which I had a tendency to do so with valuable things back home.

After I warmed myself up, I left for the race and proceeded to the starting line. Usually, the race starts further towards the Everfree Forest, but this year, the starting line was at the base of White Tail Woods. I arrived in no time and saw some familiar faces lurking around, some notable ones being Ditzy Doo, Bon Bon, Lyra Heartstrings, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack.

"Howdy, Rob," Applejack chimed.

"Good morning, Applejack," I replied, "good morning, Rainbow Dash."

"Sup, Robert!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"You two ready for an interesting race today?" I asked.

"I'm ready to record my awesomeness in history books!" Rainbow Dash confidently spoke.

"For coming in __second__place?" I playfully replied.

"For coming in __first__place, thank you!" Rainbow Dash defended.

"How about you, Applejack?" I said.

"Ah'm ready to beat out Rainbow this year!" She told me.

"Which isn't going to happen, Apple Smack!" Rainbow Dash responded.

"Yeah, that doesn't seem right at all," I added, "you two finishing behind me sounds just about right."

"As if that'll happen!" Rainbow Dash laughed.

"Uh, no offense Rob," Applejack continued, "but have ya ever run in a race before?"

"Nope," I confidently replied, "but I am a fast unicorn with some athletic background back home, so how hard can it be?"

"For you to keep up with me," Rainbow continued, "pretty hard!"

"And that goes double fer me as well, Rob," Applejack added.

"Racers, please take your marks at the starting line!" Pinkie Pie shouted, the official Puh-eye in the sky commentator. "The Running of the Leaves will begin in one minute!"

"Sounds like we'd better get ready." I stated.

"Good luck, Rob," Applejack offered.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash added, "see you at the finish line!"

"Good luck to you both as well," I answered.

"Racers," Pinkie Pie said, "on your marks...get set...go!"

With that said, I sprinted out of the starting gates in a hurry, leaving everyone else in the dust. What did I tell you? An easy win is just ahead of me.

**As long as you keep your head in the game!**

And how hard can that be, exactly?

"And they're off with newcomer Robert waaaayyyy up in front of everypony else!" Pinkie Pie stated.

"You know," a masculine sounding voice added, "not much is known about Robert's past life, but what is known is that he is one of the newer Element holders, the proud holder of the Element of Happiness, to be exact."

"Right, Spike," Pinkie Pie continued, "and he is awesome at that as well!"

"Uh," continued Spike, "ye-yes he is...what?"

"But let's get back to the race!" suggested Pinkie Pie.

What race? There's seemingly no competition for me!

**Why don't you take it easy with the sprint, Robert, after all, you're inhumanely faster than anybody else here...it's not fair at all since you never get tired anymore.**

What are you saying?

**Jog it out, that way, either Rainbow Dash or Applejack can catch up with you and you can make this race a little more interesting. Then, at the end, you sprint forward and take the victory for yourself. After all, it's no fun if one person...pony wins it by a landslide. Everyone likes the edge-of-your-seat, down-to-the-wire type events. Even you, remember? You always liked it when the World Series went to Game 7, except for the New York Yankees...you always cheered for a sweep by the Yankees whenever they made it to the final stage. You also liked it when the Super Bowl was decided by last minute or last second plays. Remember, you were devastated when the New England Patriots were beaten by the New York Giants in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI, but those two games came down to the wire.**

I hated seeing the Yankees lose, but I'll never forgive the Giants for ruining the Patriots perfect 2007-2008 season...they got fucking lucky BOTH times. However, I'll take a loss whenever they happen. I understand that you can't always win them all, so you do have to learn how to cope with defeat every now and again.

**Hello? I think I'm losing you.**

Oh, sorry...so you want me to slow myself down and make things interesting, right?

**Right on the money, Robert.**

Fine.

I slowed down to a slow jog afterwards and began listening for whoever was behind me. I heard nobody for quite a long time. I decided to look behind me and saw that I was going to be alone for a very long time.

"Man...I sure took a lead on everyone..." I told myself.

"...like Robert's about to find himself in a pickle, seeing how Rainbow Dash and Applejack are closing the gap between them and Robert!" Pinkie Pie commentated.

Excellent...now I can make this race interesting.

"And, as our competitors near the finish line, Robert's up front, holding on to a very slim lead, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack trailing right behind him!" Pinkie Pie continued.

"And it looks like Rainbow Dash has overtaken Robert!" Spike stated.

And this is where I take it all...

I sprinted like I did back at the starting line, easily passing both Rainbow Dash and Applejack, crossing the finish line and claiming victory for myself.

"And this year's Running of the Leaves winner is Robert," Pinkie Pie said, "claiming victory in this down-to-the-wire race!"

"Congrats, Rob," Applejack huffed, trying to catch her breath.

"Good...job...Rob...ert..." Rainbow Dash panted.

"Thank you," I replied.

Rarity had come over towards me and hugged me, congratulating me on a well-earned victory and a "hard fought" one, too. As soon as I regained my breath, I got down on two knees, then told Rarity-

"I love you very much, Rarity...I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I took out the ring and showed it to her. "Will you marry me?"

_I managed to catch Rarity off guard as some tears of joy started falling from her eyes._

"Oh, Robert..." Rarity gasped, "why this is...this is so sudden!"

I looked into Rarity's eyes and saw then quiver, most likely from the question, but possibly from the ring I had gotten her. She glanced over at me, then at the ring, before finally answering back.

"What do you say, Rarity?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, Robert!" She replied. "Yes, yes, yes!"

I was honestly, at that moment, the happiest pony in all of Equestria to know that Rarity accepted my request to marry her. I got back up on all four of my legs and gently placed the ring over her horn, showing that we were now a unified couple with much love for each other. We received congratulatory cheers from everyone around us, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack patted me on the back for, how Rainbow put it, a job well done.

Rarity embraced me in a hug and I saw Pinkie Pie drop some confetti from above onto us. This was the happiest moment in both of my lives, and I am glad that I got to finally experience one of them.

Twilight appeared afterwards with Lunar and saw the ring on Rarity's horn. She smiled, congratulating us both, as did Lunar, and told us that, if we wanted to, we could have our wedding in Canterlot, assuming that it would be alright with Princess Celestia.

"You'd do that for us, Twilight?" I hopefully asked.

"As long as the Princess is fine with it, that is," reminded Twilight.

"We really owe you one, Twilight." Rarity added.

"Consider it a gift from me, Rarity." Twilight continued. "However," she stepped up closer to us and whispered, "this only happens as long as neither of you harm anypony else. Sound good?"

"You have our words, Twilight," we both said in unison, "we won't."

"Good," Twilight replied, "congratulations to you both again."

"Thank you, Twilight!" Rarity appreciated.

"We really appreciate this." I added.

"No problem at all, you two." Twilight told us, glancing back at Lunar emotionally.

"Congrats, y'all," Applejack said.

"Yeah," Rainbow chipped in, "we're proud of you!"

"Thank you, everypony!" Rarity said through her tears of joy.

We were showered with thanks and congratulations for a few more minutes before we managed to step away and have time to ourselves to appreciate the new life we were going to spend together. We walked back to the park together and sat down under a nearby tree near the entrance and just talked...simply simple talk.

**See what happens when you listen to the monster inside of you?**

I should listen to you more than my living self.

**Congratulations. Your chances just went from none to slim.**

Nice "Ghost Rider" reference.

**You do have a lot of interests in this brain that I can toy with, you know.**

I know.

**So how'd you like Pokémon X or Halo: Spartan Assault? Or how about that xbox you have?**

Shut up, please...I want to talk to my beautiful woman now.

**Who's stopping you?**

"We have so many things that are about to change our lives forever, Robert!" Rarity said.

I was laying down, gazing up at my beautiful fiancé, watching her movements and the clouds floating on by slowly behind her.

"Like getting up and seeing the pony I love each and every day." I quietly spoke.

"You're simply adorable, Robert." Rarity replied.

"And all of this adorableness is for you and only you, sweet heart." I responded, kissing her on the lips in the process.

"I love you, Robert," Rarity quietly told me.

"And I love you, Rarity," I said.

"It's going to be a big adjustment, being two vampires living together...looking for blood together...loving...together..."

The more she spoke, the slower her rate of talking began to get and the closer she got to my face. We kissed each other romantically for the time being, ultimately being broken up by Twilight and Spike running into us.

I swear, it feels as if Twilight shows up whenever things seem to get...interesting between Rarity and myself...this is either annoying, a complete coincidence, or just her way of protecting Rarity.

"Hey, you two lovebirds!" Twilight shouted.

"Hello, Twilight," we both said.

Spike appeared to not want to speak at all...I wonder why...

"Is something wrong, Spike?" I asked.

"'Is something wrong?'" Spike reiterated. "Are you serious?"

"Well...yes," I replied, "I am."

"Well," continued Spike, "if you must know, you're marrying the pony of my dreams!"

I remembered how Spike was in love with Rarity - how that little detail slipped my mind is beyond me - and he did not like that I was marrying her at all. Twilight lightly shoved Spike, reminding him to be more congratulatory of both Rarity and myself, rather than jealous, which, to a dragon, can lead to serious trouble.

"I'm sorry about that, Spike," I answered, pulling him aside while the two girls talked, "I know that this is tough to accept, but Rarity and I are truly in love."

"Yeah," Spike shot back, "it is hard for me to accept that. I've known her for nearly six years and here you come dropping into Ponyville and take the pony of my dreams away from me..."

"Tell you what," I said, trying to calm the situation down, "I promise to take good care of her as if she was a fire ruby. How does that sound?"

"I'll hold you to that promise," Spike told me, "and if you don't keep that promise, I will come and hurt you."

I smiled, putting one of my hooves around Spike's body. "Sounds fair."

"Congratulations, by the way." Spike replied.

"Thanks, little guy," I smiled in response.

* * *

Later that night, while we were all by ourselves, Rarity and I had begun planning out the wedding and the date. It was a lot of hard work and seemed to be a lot easier than how I imagined it – whether it was her or back home – but by the time Rarity and I had settled on nearly everything, it was a bit late. We checked over everything once more, just to see if everything was perfect for our special day.

"So it's settled then," Rarity said, "we have the wedding in Canterlot in about one week and we'll have all of our friends there as well as our families..."

"You mean your family, right?" I corrected. "Remember, I'm not from here and if I were, my family would be dead...all remaining close members anyway...besides Ariana, but still."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Rarity apologized.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that, Rare," I replied, "after all, soon, I'll have a family once more...I mean, sure they may be in-laws, but they're family, nonetheless."

"You always look at the positive things in life," she told me, "and that is what I love most about you!"

"I try my best to look at the positive outlooks," I murmured, "for if I didn't, I most likely wouldn't be here with you."

"You are simply the best, darling!"

"Which is false because you are clearly the best!" I playfully teased.

"Oh, Robert," Rarity said, cheeks blushing from the smooth affection.

"Oh, Rarity," I spoke, fangs extending just a bit and eyes half-shutting themselves.

It was very late at night where we were at - sitting on the bed, to be exact, talking about the wedding that was currently being prepared for us in Canterlot - and we were young and restless, excited about the events that were scheduled to take place in just about one week. We had talked endlessly about the wedding for about the last four hours now, covering a wide variety of topics, such as her wedding dress, my tuxedo, what our friends should wear, what types of catering to have at the reception, and where we should go for our honeymoon. It was all important matters that had to be discussed, which we did so immediately, finishing up with more than enough satisfaction for both of us. Once we finished, I allowed my fangs to extend themselves normally, and Rarity half-shut her eyes.

"How about a little role play?" She asked me.

"What do you want to role play, Queen Rarity?" I playfully replied.

"What if you were a blood thirsty monster-"

"Which I am," I interrupted, chuckling in the process.

"Right," continued Rarity, "and what if you were hunting me down and finally managed to catch me, holding me down and preparing to devour my blood, would you like that?"

"I don't mean to harm you," I answered in reply, "but..." I paused for a quick second. "I finally got you now!"

Rarity tried pulling off a frightened voice, the kind of voice one speaks when they are met face-to-face with certain doom, but our giggling and laughing made that a bit harder to pull off easily.

"Oh!" She screamed. "Somepony, anypony, help me!"

"Nobody can help you now!" I shouted, extending my fangs all the way and digging them deep into Rarity's skin (as deep as they usually go, but more quicker).

"Somepony, HELP!" Rarity yelped - well, more of a giggle than a yelp.

"Your blood," I continued, "your precious, mouth watering, delicious, blood!"

I kept sucking out some of Rarity's blood for a few more moments before pulling myself away and wiping my mouth free from red stains. Rarity played her part by pretending to be slaughtered by my bite marks and loss of blood, having her eyes shut closed and very minimum motion.

"Now," I spoke, "you shall become one of us and roam the night, looking for some blood..."

As soon as I finished that, Rarity opened up her eyes and extended her fans slowly while performing her other changes on a much slower pace as well, showing the signs of transformation from a normal unicorn to a vampire unicorn. She sat up next to me and looked me straight into my eyes.

"Yes, King Robert," she slowly said as her transformation was nearing completion.

I smiled at Rarity, who played for a tremendous actress if I do say so myself, and she smiled back at me.

"Want to switch roles, Robert?" Rarity asked.

"Why not, right?" I answered. "It would be kind of fun to playfully go through the process of becoming a vampire this time."

"Same concept?" She asked again.

"Yup." I replied.

Silence fell for a short while afterwards while Rarity was preparing herself for the role reversal.

"And now that you're trapped with nowhere to go," Rarity evilly spoke, "it's time!"

"No," I screamed, making it sound convincing since I did a little bit of acting back home, "please...have mercy!"

"Mercy is for the weak!" Rarity shouted, driving her fangs into my neck and sucking out my blood slowly.

"No!" I continued. "Please! AHH!"

Rarity pulled herself away from my neck and wiped her face clean of the blood on her face, looking menacingly down at me while I slowly shut my eyes, resembling how she shut her eyes while I was the one who was "devouring" her.

"And now..." continued Rarity, "you are mine! From now on, you will do what your Queen commands you to do!"

"Yes, Queen Rarity." I emotionlessly said, closely followed by an evil laugh from Rarity.

**Nice role playing Robert. You are indeed a great actor, and I'm sure she knew it.**

"Oh, Robert," Rarity started in her normal voice, "you are great at role playing, you know that?"

"But I couldn't have been as spectacular as you were, Rarity," I replied.

"Was I really that good?" She asked me.

"Of course you were, dear!" I praised.

"You're so good to me, sweetie," Rarity told me, kissing me on my lips romantically.

"I try my best to make you happy, dear," I replied.

"And you succeed in keeping your Queen happy as can be, my love..." She told me, kissing me once more.

**Congratulations, Robert. You have succeeded in making the woman of your dreams happy. How do you feel about that?**

I feel like the luckiest unicorn in all of Equestria.

**And in about six more days, you two vampires will become the happiest, undead couple in this entire kingdom.**

That is something I can be proud of...something I can be proud of for a long, long time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

My, oh my, how time sure flies fast! A week with the woman of your dreams simply went by too quickly. Now, today, was the day I've been waiting for; the day we've been waiting for...

Canterlot...such a wonderful capital city...so beautiful, so elegant, so...so, amazing. Words simply cannot describe this capital city fully and if they could, that list would be tremendously long in a good way.

The ceremonies were to be held inside one of the halls inside the Canterlot Castle - a task that was backed by Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. It was a large hall, plenty of windows, and more than enough lighting for everyone inside the room. Princess Celestia promised to say a few words about the two Elements that were to be wed momentarily, closely followed by some words from Twilight herself.

I was nervous...I mean, how was a vampire unicorn supposed to feel about getting married? How was anyone supposed to feel when they get married, for that matter? Is it intriguing? Is it fascinating? Is it tough? Or is it gruesome?

A knock on the door soon snapped me out of my thoughts and the door slowly opened up afterwards. Coming inside was Spike, who was wearing a tuxedo that Rarity had made especially for him for today. He came up to me, wanting to talk to me one last time before the wedding was scheduled to begin.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me.

"Like I'm about to die from nervousness..." I gulped, trying to straighten my bow tie.

"Just relax," Spike told me, "pretty soon, you'll have Rarity's heart and soul."

Not necessarily, you know...our souls are no longer with us since we technically are the walking dead. I may have her heart, but never her soul.

"Thanks, Spike," I replied, "I needed that."

"Any time, Robert," he answered in reply, "just remember, you break your promise about keeping her as happy as she can be, and I'll come for you."

"You have my word, little guy." I said.

I looked at the clock located above the mirror I was staring into and noticed that it was almost 12:30 in the afternoon...I was supposed to be up at the altar by now!

**Great, Robert...the one time you can't fuck up, and you did...**

Shut up...

**Not my fault that you're late, you know.**

You could've reminded me though.

**Could've, would've, should've, didn'tve.**

That last one isn't even a word!

**It is if I say it is, which it is!**

You're drunk!

**And you're late!**

Oh, horse apples...

I rushed towards the altar and managed to get there before anyone else had arrived. Shortly afterwards, my friends had started coming up to the altar, Spike included, and started surrounding me as the orchestral music started sounding. Twilight called especially for Octavia to come and help provide some classy orchestra music with her cello, something I'm more than certain that Rarity will love.

After the orchestra music started and Princess Celestia had stepped up in front of us all at the top of the altar, Rarity had elegantly come through the doors wearing the most beautiful wedding gown you had ever lay your eyes upon. I was awe struck by my soon-to-be wife's stunning looks and was proud that I was about to become her husband for all eternity.

Rarity had slowly approached the altar, proceeding up the steps, and finally coming to a halt right next to me. We had turned our attention towards Princess Celestia as she began saying a few words about us.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," Celestia started, "we are gathered here today to celebrate the coming together of these two determined ponies. Their love is undeniable and undying between these two and have pulled them through any and all obstacles that have been presented to them throughout their lives. Rarity, the Element of Generosity, and Robert, the Element of Happiness, are two ponies that were truly made for each other.

"May we please see the rings that will symbolize the coming together of these two ponies, please?" Celestia asked, looking at Spike.

Spike smiled, pulling out two rings from his backside. One ring had a purple gem and resembled much like Rarity's Element of Harmony while the other ring had an emerald gem and resembled much like my Element of Harmony. Princess Celestia levitated both rings in front of us both and we each took over each other's ring with our magic.

"With this ring," I quietly stated, "I promise to always love and care for you."

I had then put Rarity's ring on her horn, as unicorns tend to do with their rings, and then it was Rarity's turn.

"With this ring," she stated, "I also promise to always love and care for you."

Rarity had then put my ring on my horn and we turned back towards Celestia for a few more words.

"These ponies have overcome anything that had been thrown at them and may they continue to do the same for years to come." Celestia said. "Now, Princess Twilight Sparkle has requested to say a few words herself. Princess?"

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," Twilight thanked, stepping up from her original location from behind Rarity to next to Celestia.

"Rarity and Robert," she started, "it seems like only it was yesterday when you two met. If it weren't for there being a seventh Element of Harmony, we wouldn't have gotten to know you, Robert. It is with much gratitude and happiness that I do wish you both a very long, happy life together. You two can be seen as a source of inspiration now and are forever to be known as one now. On behalf of Prince Lunar, who unfortunately could not be here today with us, and myself, I want to tell you both congratulations."

Twilight's speech was deep, to say the least...I enjoyed every word of it. She then proceeded back to where she came from originally, while Celestia continued on for a bit while longer.

"By the power invested in me in this great capital city of Canterlot," continued Celestia, "I now pronounce you mare and colt! Robert, you may kiss the bride."

I approached my new wife and had kissed her with all the love that I had on her lips. She blushed, returning the favor by kissing me as well before we had begun leaving the hall together. Hoof-in-hoof, we walked out of the large, majestic hallway together, back to the carriage we had rented for the day.

"I love you, Robert," Rarity told me, collapsing her head slowly onto my shoulder.

"And I love you, my elegant and majestic Queen," I replied.

* * *

"My sister," Celestia said, "wasn't that emotional? Two Element holders coming together to be one with each other."

"I'm not too sure about that, my dear sister," Luna replied.

"Why not?" Celestia asked her younger sister.

"It doesn't seem at all natural." Luna answered. "Those two have been back for about a week, two weeks tops, and they get married? Does that not seem unusual to you?"

"It most certainly isn't the way I would go about that, if and when that should come," Princess Celestia responded, "but if it makes them happy, who's to argue against that?"

"You do create a hasty point there, sister," stated Luna.

"And who knows," continued Celestia, "maybe it will be that way when you find your one special pony."

Luna had blushed, thinking about her perfect stallion...strong willed, understanding, compassionate, lovable.

Robert was Luna's perfect stallion in her eyes. Sure he was shorter than she was, but size does not matter to Luna since she is taller than the majority of the ponies in Equestria. Princess Cadance was lucky enough to find Shining Armor being the same height she is, but that is the only other pony who is similar in height to either her or Princess Luna. Princess Celestia has an even harder time finding someone around her height seeing how she is nearly doubled the height of an average subject's height.

"Come now, Princess Luna," Princess Celestia continued, "best we get some sleep now. We've had an exhilarating day today."

"You go on ahead, my sister," Luna replied, "I want to stay and bask in the glory of my full moon for tonight."

"Okay, Princess Luna," answered Celestia, "just be sure to get some sleep tonight."

"Will do," Luna responded before Celestia walked out of the room.

Princess Luna then turned around and walked out into the nearest balcony, focusing her gaze up at the large, bright, beautiful full moon that she had risen. She then paid more attention towards the hundreds of tiny stars that were used to paint her nighttime sky.

Princess Luna seemingly loved her beautiful nighttime sky. The only thing that bothered her was the lack of enthusiasm from the subjects. She wished others basked in the glory of the night much like she did. There was, however, one location within Canterlot that always seemed to be awake during the night and asleep during the day, but then again, that is why they call it a night club. Princess Luna had been over there a few times recently to help quiet the public, seeing how surrounding areas can hear the night club and always complain about noise pollution. Today was no exception seeing how a couple of the evening royal guards asked Luna to help quiet them down...again.

"A lot of ponies are unhappy with the sound, Your Highness," one guard spoke to her.

"I'll take care of it, as usual," Luna replied, flying off towards the night club.

This night club had already known Princess Luna and her way by now, seeing how Vinyl Scratch is the only reason why they constantly get noise complaints, so this was an easy proposition to fix for her. All she had to do was fly over the building with her magic embracing her horn with her lovely aura, and within a few seconds, Vinyl, or how they call her inside the building, DJ Pon-3, lowered the volume of her mixes a bit. It was still loud, but not loud enough to hear outside the place.

Princess Luna stood around and flew for a little while longer. She had always loved flying through the cool, crisp air during these amazing autumn nights. It made her feel a bit more special than she usually does back at the castle.

Luna flew over a nearby forest and saw two ponies walk into the forest. To her, she felt that this was unusually strange, seeing how nopony dared ever enter into those woods in the middle of the night. Slowing down a bit, Princess Luna managed to her a quick glimpse at the two ponies before they disappeared into the woods. One was a green colored unicorn, while the other was a brilliant white colored unicorn, much like Princess Celestia's color.

"Those two look just like Robert and Rarity." she stammered. She decided to follow them into the forest and see what these two unicorns were up to.

The forest was very dark during the night and tonight was no exception. Not even the light from Princess Luna's horn could help her see where she was going. However, Princess Luna continued onward, hoping that she could find the two ponies.

"Why are they going into the forest at this late hour anyway?" Luna wondered, speaking out loud without realizing it at first, giving her away to the two ponies.

"Why'd you follow us, Princess Luna?" The smaller white unicorn asked in a sophisticated feminine voice.

"What are you doing out in the woods in the middle of the night?" Luna immediately questioned.

"You didn't answer my question," the white unicorn continued.

"And you failed to answer mine!" snapped Luna.

"How about an eye for an eye, Princess?" The bigger green unicorn asked.

"What does thou mean?" asked Luna in reply, puzzled.

"Answer her question," the green unicorn continued, "and she'll answer yours."

"So why did you follow us, Princess Luna?" The white unicorn asked.

"You two are my subjects," Luna declared, "and I must be sure that all my subjects are safe and sound."

"It's a shame, really..." The unicorn continued.

"And why is that?" Luna replied.

"Hmph...you came out here to make sure we were safe, but you didn't think about your safety!"

The two then spun around and began to attack Princess Luna right then and there. Luna was so surprised, not being able to budge at all, watching a couple of beams of magic fly straight towards her.

"Goodbye, Princess Luna." The white unicorn told me.

Princess Luna finally managed to snap out of her trance and defended herself by absorbing the beams of magic into her horn. The beams weren't all that powerful, but Luna was most annoyed.

"Thou are attempting to attack me?" I questioned. Shouts of defiance are what she heard in reply, nothing more, nothing less. "You're kidding, right?"

Still not convinced, the two unicorns – whom Luna correctly identified as Robert and Rarity – charged straight at the princess of the night, who, unfortunately, was forced to show them no mercy, even if they did just get married earlier in the day. However, the closer they got to the princess, the more she felt unable to protect myself. Oddly enough, Luna also began to feel my body become unexplainably colder.

She retracted her wings back to her sides and shuffled backwards while the two married Element holders continued charging straight towards Princess Luna and, as they neared her, she noticed two sets of fangs from both of them and noticed that their eyes weren't there usual, casual colors, but instead, they were a demonic red color.

"Stay back!" warned the princess, signs of fear being traced in her voice.

Still, the wedded couple charged. Not wanting to fight, Princess Luna had begun taking off into the night sky, fleeing from any kind doom since she was unable to harm those two in any way. As she took off though, Princess Luna felt one of the ponies' sharp teeth penetrate one of her legs, piercing it and causing it to bleed. She did manage to shake herself free from anymore danger, flying back towards home and, more specifically, her room, but what was done was done.

Flying through the air rapidly, Luna could feel her blood dripping from her leg wound. In hopes of limiting the blood loss, she flew faster back towards the castle. She wanted to be the one that tended to her wound and did not want to be tended to by her guards. Luna honestly loved her guards very much, but she viewed them as overprotective and thought that she cannot protect herself from any kind of danger. That made the princess so agitated, seeing how she was just as strong, if not, stronger than Celestia herself!

_Calm down, Luna. _She thought to herself._ No need to get so snippy now...don't want to hurt yourself now. You're already having to deal with a bite mark on your leg. This is frightfully true. _Her thoughts went quiet for a few more moments before picking back up again. _My room! My glorious, nighttime based room...oh how I missed thee._

Luna had flown back into her room shortly thereafter and smiled slightly. She sat down atop her bed, turning on the light with her magic. At least, she attempted to turn on the light with her magic. It was right there that Princess Luna noticed that she was having a hard time concentrating on performing even the most basic of magic abilities.

_That bite mark must have something to do with this!_ She thought quietly.

"Princess Luna," Princess Celestia called from outside, "is everything all right in there? I saw you fly into your room in a hurry. Are you okay?"

"Everything is divine, my sister." Luna replied. "There's no need to worry."

"Don't you mean fine?" Princess Celestia asked in response. "And are you sure that you're unharmed?"

"Yes..." retorted Luna, answering both questions in the process.

"Ok, Princess Luna," Celestia said, "if you need me, you can always call me for anything."

"Thank you, my sister," Luna told her, wrapping up her wound tightly so that the blood could stop falling out.

"Goodnight, my dear sister." She spoke.

"Goodnight, my dear sister." Luna replicated.

Celestia then walked back towards her room as Princess Luna continued tending to her wound, completely unable to concentrate on her own magic. Not knowing what else to do, Luna chose not to bring her guards into this predicament because she knew that they would alert Princess Celestia and this mess would become even messier. Luna decided to sleep off this awful night and wait until morning to do something about this, so she let it slide for now, sliding into her bed and manually pulling the covers over her unusually cold body.

Princess Luna tossed and turned on her bed, trying her best to get comfortable and hopefully fall asleep before having to lower the moon and raise Princess Celestia's sun. The only problem was that Luna wasn't able to do find tranquility and sleep due to her unusual and out-of-wack body temperature. One moment, her body was as cold as ice, causing Luna to pull the covers over herself manually and the next moment, her body was as hot as the sun itself, forcing her to remove the covers from her body, which brought herself right back to square one.

Another thing that was seemingly bothering Princess Luna was the unusual aroma that was filling the air around her. To her, it smelled exactly like blood and it smelled delicious, to be perfectly blunt. Removing the covers entirely and removing the bandage she had used to tie up my leg, Princess Luna revealed her leg wound, with some blood gushing out of it and spreading out everywhere.

"Blood..." Luna quietly remarked, "I wonder how it tastes exactly."

Princess Luna brought her head closer to the gushing blood and began to feel her teeth shift a bit, which made her rush over towards the nearest mirror that was stored in the room. In the reflection, Princess Luna could see that her long, flowing mane was the same and nothing different. She also noticed that her coat color was the same as well, but noticed that her teeth had sharpen themselves somehow! Staring intently into the mirror for any other changes, Princess Luna also saw that her eyes changed from the normal teal color they usually were to this demonic red color now, just like the wedded couples' eyes from earlier!

"What's going on?" Luna asked herself, trying her best not to alert her sister in the process. "What's happening to me?"

Shortly thereafter, Luna felt her teeth begin sharpening themselves which had hurt her very much and, when she went to bite her lip to attempt enduring the pain, her sharp canine teeth penetrated her skin, causing her mouth to start bleeding. Luna began sucking in the loose blood, enjoying the odd taste that the blood had to offer. It was warm, but the quick movements made it cold. It tasted awful, but at the same time, it tasted wonderful.

"What was going with me?" Luna gulped, swallowing some more blood. "Why is this happening?"

Princess Luna tried her very best fighting whatever it was that was making her act the way she was, but nothing seemed to work. In fact, it only made her want even more blood, despite its awful taste, and less sleep! This version of Princess Luna – the crazy, blood-craving pony – would appreciate the eternal night, but the sane version we know understood that everypony needs both the sun and moon to remain safe and calm and, should they find out what the troubled princess has become, that wouldn't end well at all...

"What am I going to do?"

Princess Luna had unfortunately – and successfully – been transformed into a blood thirsty monster! Shortly thereafter, a knock came from Princess Luna's bedroom door, which startled the princess of the night greatly.

"Princess Luna," Celestia knocked, "are you okay in there?"

"I...I'm fine, Celestia," Luna lied, "I just had a fearful dream."

"Want to talk about it?" She asked the troubled princess.

"Let's talk in the morning." replied Princess Luna. "I'm exhausted."

"Sounds good, Princess Luna," Celestia responded, seeming to buy the little lie, "have a good night's sleep."

"And you do, too." the night princess answered, focusing once more on herself and her new features in the mirror.

_What am I? _Princess Luna thought. _Am I myself? Or am I an unruly tyrant? Can I be trusted?_

Princess Luna then flew out of her room seemingly instantaneously in the hopes to find some answers. Flying back towards the forest from earlier, Princess Luna had hoped to find the same two ponies that turned her into her current state. Arriving at the outskirts of the forest, Princess Luna touched base with the ground softly and could smell some warm, delicious blood spiraling through the air. Since those two unicorns were the only ponies that dared enter this forest this late at night, Luna figured that the aroma belonged to both of them.

She had then stepped hoof into the forest, searching for those two monsters that foolishly attacked her earlier. She wasn't moving fast at all, but instead was trusting the new keen sense of smelling she had gained in order to help her navigate through the forest to find those two unicorns. The aroma branched off from the little dirt path Luna was on and started traveling into some nearby bushes. She stared deeply into those bushes and paid close attention to see if there was any movement in the slightest.

Minutes had passed before Princess Luna had heard a slight shuffling of leaves coming from the bush nearby. Slowly, Luna approached it and commanded that whoever was hiding inside the bush that they show themselves at that very moment. Whatever was inside the bush shuffled around some more before finally springing up out of the bush.

"Who are you?" They rudely asked.

"We were about to ask you the same question." replied Luna.

The pony before Luna simply stared at her, running away after some tense silence. The princess wanted to go after that pony, but held her ground once she began hearing hoofsteps coming from behind her position. So, she turned around and noticed that before her stood the two unicorns that she saw earlier, prior to the bite.

"It looks like the transformation is complete." The larger green unicorn stated.

"Looks that way." The smaller white unicorn added.

"What did you do to me?" Luna boomed, confronting the two ponies, demanding that they explain what exactly happening.

The two ponies stood silent, prompting Luna to stomp her front hooves heavily, causing the nearby area to tremble and shake. Silence roamed the area thereafter as the three ponies stared intensely at each other. Lengthy minutes had passed by until Princess Luna asked the same exact question she asked earlier, switching to the Royal Canterlot voice in order to get her point across to them.

"Pipe down, Luna!" The white unicorn said.

"That's __Princess__Luna, thou ungrateful whelp!" Luna screamed in response.

"Whatever," the green unicorn continued.

"What did thou do to thy Princess of the Night!?" she demanded once more.

"We simply made you one of us!" The white unicorn answered.

"Us?" questioned the princess, switching away from the Royal Canterlot voice.

"We, Princess Luna," the white unicorn said, "are vampires, both Robert and myself. Now you are one too!"

"But why?" Princess Luna asked, looking at Robert, tears filling her eyes.

"Because that's what we do," the white unicorn continued, "vampires need blood to survive and, since we aren't home, we had to improvise."

"But why choose thy Princess?" Luna asked again.

"Rarity felt it would be best that way." Robert answered.

"So...I'm...a vampire now?" Luna sighed, tried putting two and two together.

"Most certainly, Luna," Rarity told me.

"I...Princess Celestia isn't going to like this one bit!" shouted Luna.

"And who's to say that she's ping to find out?" Rarity continued.

"I...well..."

"She won't find out," Rarity said, "because as your Queen, I will either terminate you if she does find out, or convert her as well."

Princess Luna heeded that comment heavily, as it sounded like a very serious threat that was just made out to her. Luna was slightly frightened, knowing that she just couldn't sit idly by and wait for nothing to happen. Acting on a slower scale, Princess Luna opted that she should tell Princess Celestia what was going on and how there are vampires now, but that very thought seemed like something that Princess Celestia wouldn't believe at all. Even if she were to believe Luna, who's to say that there is something they could do to help prevent this serious problem?

"Do I make myself clear, Luna?" Rarity asked.

"I...uh..."

"I'll ask you again: do I make myself clear? Because if I didn't," she stopped to reveal some of her magic to me, showing it off on a nearby tree, "I will."

"Y-you have made yourself clear..." stammered Luna. _What now? _She thought._ Go home and pretend that none of this happened? I can't even imagine a world without my sister. It was hard enough having to spend an entire millennium on the moon without her guidance or compassion towards me. I can't imagine what would happen if they did something towards her._

_What am I supposed to do? Kill them off and deny all of this happening? If I did that, then Equestria would be left without one of its important means of defense...but if I didn't and they even so put a hoof on my sister and harmed her...well, there's no telling what I would do as a response. This is simply awful...just awful..._

Turning around, Princess Luna started flying out of the forest and away from this inevitable nightmare. Before flying away, however, Rarity called out to the distressed princess and told her something very interesting.

"Anything you do to try and harm us," she said, "we will come and hunt you down!"

"Now we don't want to have to bury one of Equestria's Princesses, now do we?" Robert added.

Luna shook her head and stormed off back towards her room in a hurry. She could still feel her sharp fangs and tried readjusting them back to their original formation, but was unable to do so. Luna crashed through her bedroom window, originally forgetting that she had sealed it shut upon leaving in the first place. Unable to control her flight patterns after colliding with and charging through her window, Luna then slammed into her door, most likely causing several of the royal guards to rush to her safety, as well as Princess Celestia.

_I can't let her see me like this._ Luna thought to herself

"Princess Luna!" One of the guards shouted. "Is everything all right inside there?"

"Everything is fine, thank you," lied Luna, "just return to your duties!"

"If you say so, Your Highness," he replied back.

_I wish everything was fine,_ she resided quietly, _What was I supposed to do? Come clean and explain to my sister what I have become? Or shall I keep this a secret from everypony and continue living as if nothing has happened at all? As a vampire now, I don't know if Rarity and Robert have enhanced hearing or can hear my thoughts now, so what am I supposed to do?_

"Princess Luna," Celestia knocked, "may I please come in?"

Startled, Princess Luna shot a look back at the door to her bedroom, wondering if she should let her in and explain herself to Celestia or if she should let her in and play innocent, continuing her rapidly increasing web of lies. Luna knew she hasn't been entirely truthful to her or even to her subjects for that matter for a long time, often times wondering if she should return to her merry ways and become Queen of the eternal night once more. But then again, it always fails in the end, right? The truth always finds it's way around even the stickiest of situations.

"Are you by yourself?" a shy Luna asked Celestia.

"If you just want me to come in with no guards," she started, "I can do that, if you want."

"Please do." Luna softly answered.

"As you wish, Luna." Celestia responded.

Princess Celestia has rarely ever called her younger sister by just Luna before unless the circumstances were severe or if she were in pain. Celestia called her sister Luna one time before and that was when Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon all those years ago. Luna felt that Princess Celestia was starting to suspect that something wasn't right with her, wondering if Celestia knew something that she didn't.

"You may enter," Princess Luna whispered.

The door was then embraced in the older sister's bright pale yellow magic aura and started to open slowly. Celestia had entered the room slowly and, as promised, with the accompany of nopony else, which Luna liked. As you know, Luna is not one for publicity or being around other ponies - though her job requires her to do that - and so Luna likes being left alone the majority of the time. Celestia neared the distressed princess, shutting the door behind her slowly and gently, taking a seat next to Princess Luna on her bed.

I took extreme precautions with my new features, trying my very best to hide my uncontrollable fangs right now and shutting my eyes tightly while Celestia was next to me on my bed. She took more of that and immediately questioned it.

"Is something the matter, Luna?" She asked me.

"My sister..." Luna started, slowing down, trying to find the right words in order to better explain her current situation. "I...I..."

"Yes?"

Princess Luna sighed, opening her eyes slowly and looking up towards her elder sister with eyes that signaled that she desperately needed help.

"Princess Luna," Celestia quietly replied, so that the royal guards would not hear the conversation, "what's wrong with your eyes?"

At that moment, Princess Luna began feeling her fangs sharpen themselves once more, which prompted Celestia to question that and what happened to her.

"What's wrong with your canine teeth?" She asked the damsel in distress.

"I...I think...I think I'm becoming a monster..." Luna replied.

"What ever do you mean, my sister?"

"Earlier," Princess Luna began, deciding to explain what happened entirely tonight, "I flew out to the night club on the other side of town, hoping to relinquish the complaints that have been coming to me today about the loud noise coming from it. I managed to quiet them down, and once I did so, I decided to take a quick flight around to stretch out my wings a bit. While flying around, I noticed...two unicorns step foot into the woods outside of town, so I went to go investigate it myself. Upon entering the forest myself, they spotted me and attacked me. I flew away as fast as I could, but one of them managed to bite me on my leg, see?" She paused briefly and pointed to her leg wound before continuing on with the story. "Upon flying back here to my room, I began to notice some drastic changes, as you can very well see now. I wanted some answers, so I went back to the forest and found the two that attacked me earlier and they explained that my "transformation" was nearing completion, explaining to me that they were vampires and have made me one as well. They also threatened me that if I tell this to anypony, that they would either hurt me, or hurt the one that I told this story to..."

Celestia was both surprised and shocked at the complexity and length of the story, finding much of the strange actions hard to believe. As strange as this sounded leaving Luna's mouth, it was all completely true and anypony who listened could see that, based off of her different facial features; this was oddly true. Princess Celestia, holding back a few tears, embraced Princess Luna in a hug, forcing tears to fall from her demonic colored eyes now.

"I don't know what to do, my sister..." sobbed Luna.

Princess Luna hadn't sobbed in ages. The last time that Princess Luna wept like this was when she got to see Princess Celestia for the first time in over a thousand years. Now, however, was a different time; a time where chaos was looming inside of Luna's own body, leaving traces of self-doubt and leaving Luna in a state in which she didn't know what to do or who to turn to. Princess Celestia, holding her younger sister close to her, gently brushed a hoof through Luna's flowing mane and offered up some kind words that Luna desperately needed to hear at the moment.

"It's okay, Luna," she smoothly told Luna, "I'm here for you."

"I've become a monster-hur-hur..." Luna continued, still sobbing heavily.

"Listen to me," Celestia said, moving away from Luna in order to look into her eyes, "you are not a monster!"

"Yes I am..." Luna sighed.

"No," she continued, "you are not! You are a beautiful Princess, not a monster!"

"No I'm not!" the damsel squealed. "I'm a ravenous freak!"

"Listen to me," Celestia remarked, grabbing onto Luna's shoulders and looking straight into her eyes, "you are not a monster. You are not, a monster. You are a graceful, majestic Princess that's misunderstood, that's all, nothing else. We'll get through this together, just remember: you. Are. Not. A. Monster."

Princess Luna gazed heavily and deeply into her sister's eyes, letting her wipe the tears from her own. She began to feel her fangs revert back to their original canine formation. The two regal sisters then embraced once more in a hug.

"You are able to control Nightmare Moon from returning," Celestia told Luna, "what makes this any different?"

Celestia then released herself from Luna, smiling back at her, before she started making her way out of the room. Before she left however, she had one more item to tell Luna, which made her feel a lot better on the inside, but not completely better.

"Don't worry," she said, "I won't tell anypony about this."

"Thank you, my dear sister." the Princess of the Night replied.

* * *

A few days have passed since the events that happened on that terrible, dreadful night, and both Princess Celestia and Prince Lunar have gracefully accepted Princess Luna's new way of life, though she does emphasize keeping it a secret from the subjects, not knowing entirely how they would view Luna, being a vampony now.

Today was the first time in a while that Princess Luna rose the moon on her own. Recently, Prince Lunar had done that, while Princess Celestia claimed that Princess Luna was simply under the weather and unable to perform her royal duties for the time being. Celestia said that, letting the subjects of Equestria sympathize over Luna's "condition" and she also told all of the royal guards to not check up on her and to leave her be for the time being. Princess Luna understood that this caused plenty of confusion for them, seeing how the jobs of the ponies in the royal guard was to protect and serve the royal sisters, and they were being told to not protect one of their princesses. It wasn't natural, but that is how it went.

Luna stood inside her room these last few days, trying to control her condition fully, like she does with Nightmare Moon's spirit. They may be inside of Princess Luna's body now and be a part of her, but it is solely Luna who controls them; they don't control her. Celestia and Lunar were the only ponies who came in during that time and they would only come in to see how Luna was doing and to check up on her, bringing her some things, if she requested them. It was solely Princess Celestia's idea that Luna should come out of her room and return to performing her royal duties, furthering the illusion that Princess Luna was indeed under the weather the last few days. Performing her royal duties once more, Princess Luna managed to conduct and perform them with ease, making it seem as if she had full control of the beast that roamed inside of her now.

Luna was not sad that she had become what she is now. Rather, Luna has embraced that feature and now claims it as her own. However, she knew that she must bring this awful condition up with Robert and Rarity, seeing how they were identical – literally – to what she was now and that they are unable to control themselves.

Upon raising the moon, it was heard that Rarity and Robert had returned from their "honeymoon," so, wisely, Princess Luna alerted Princess Celestia that she was going to take an evening stroll through the park in order to clear her head about these unfortunate events that happened the last few days. With much compassionate, understanding, and caring, Princess Celestia understood how Luna was feeling and allowed her to go for her stroll, no guards attending to Princess Luna's side.

Luna did actually take a walk through the park and did manage to get the idea of being a vampony out of her head, seeing how she can control it with ease now. Rushing over to the area Robert and Rarity were staying at, which was near the top of the castle inside a suite that Twilight Sparkle helped convince Celestia to let them use, Luna hoped that the two lovebirds did not leave Canterlot yet. She opened up the door and could see Rarity and Robert packing up their things in order to return to Ponyville tomorrow morning, timing the entrance perfectly.

"Why, hello there, Princess Luna!" Robert cheerfully said.

Princess Luna remained silent, knowing all too well that these two were trying to play dumb and pretend that they had no idea as to what happened a few days ago. Rarity turned around and took note to the annoyed look that Luna had on her face.

"Is something the matter, Princess Luna?" She asked in her sophisticated voice.

Still, the Princess of the Night remained silent.

"I'm confused, Princess," Robert continued, "why are you so quiet?"

Letting her fangs extend themselves and letting her eyes turn red, as per vampony condition, Luna stepped into the room and shut the door behind her heavily. She managed to get a round of gasps and shocking sounds from the two newly weds as they began to approach Luna.

"What happened, Princess Luna!?" Rarity squealed.

Princess Luna approached the two of them and quietly told them that it was because of their actions that she too was a vampony now. However, the two unicorns seemed to be dazed and confused.

"How so?" Rarity asked, not missing a single beat.

"I don't remember doing that to you, Princess." added Robert.

"You both did this to me." repeated Luna.

"No offense, Princess Luna," Robert continued, stepping in front of Rarity, "but we didn't do that. If secrets are being poured out right now, Rarity and myself would never transform another pony into a vampony. We promised Twilight that we wouldn't."

"Well," Luna told Robert, "you broke that promise."

"Whoa," Robert panicked, "let's all just calm ourselves down here. We're all vamponies here. I'm sure there's a logical explanation."

"Oh, so it's a logical explanation thou wishes for, is that so?" the princess hammered back. "Here's your logical explanation: The two of you _attacked _and _bit _me, _turning _me into a _vampony_! Does thou not understand it!?"

"But what we're trying to tell you, Princess Luna is that we didn't do this!" Rarity pleaded.

"And we would never harm another pony!" Robert added.

"If thou didn't do this to thy Princess," continued Luna, "then who did?"

The two unicorns stood silently while they looked mindlessly at Luna. She knew that they knew that they did this to her, but they were simply trying to play dumb and pretend that they had no idea what Princess Luna was talking about and that she was now one of them!

"Well?" I impatiently replied. "Who did this?"

Still, they looked at Princess Luna cluelessly. Eventually, Luna figured that if they refused to tell her who was responsible for this, then she'd either lock them up in the Canterlot Dungeons or have Princess Celestia, Prince Lunar, and Twilight Sparkle come in and talk to them, which is what she ended up doing anyway since the two unicorns refused to speak.

"Since thou does not wish to answer my question," Luna told them, "I'll have to take drastic measures...Princess Celestia, Prince Lunar, and Princess Twilight Sparkle will help me decide what to do with you two!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

As Princess Luna exited the room, I glanced over towards Rarity and wondered, what was Princess Luna talking about. Why was she blaming us for a condition she most likely had before we did? For all I know, it could be Princess Luna who had made Rarity what she and I are today.

"What is her deal, right dear?" I asked Rarity. "Why would she suspect that we were the ones who did that to her?"

"Well..." Rarity started. "We did attack her out of rage, you know..."

"But that wasn't really us..." I replied. "That was the monster inside both of us that was controlling us both...we di-"

"__You __didn't mean to do it," Rarity exclaimed, "I wasn't the one who bit her."

I stood silent, hanging my head down out of shame. Rarity was right...it was my fault Princess Luna became one of us. _I _was the one who bit her. _I _was the reason she became a vampony. It was _my _fault and I should be the one who pays for my mistake, nobody else. Nobody else had to get hurt here, only me...and I was willing to take that sacrifice if it meant that Rarity would be unharmed.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Rarity apologized, "I didn't mean to snap at you like that..."

"It's okay, Rare," I replied, "I know you mean well."

"We're in this together, dear," Rarity told me.

"It's my fault," I explained, "so I should be the only one who pays for my mistake...you shouldn't be punished for something I only did."

"As your wife and Queen, though," continued Rarity, "your problems are my problems and my problems are your problems. We will find a way out of this mess together."

I looked down at my beautiful Rarity and kissed her romantically. I was touched that she wanted to help me out through this tough predicament we've found ourselves in and I was honored that she would stand by my side and defend me, even though I was completely and utterly wrong. She cared about me and my safety and I cared about her and her safety. It was us against regal princesses, our friends, and, most importantly, ourselves. We weren't the ones who lost control of ourselves and attacked Princess Luna. It was the monsters inside both of us that lost control and did that. We couldn't help it...they took over our bodies and forced us to do their dirty work for them, leaving us to take the fall and get blamed upon.

Suddenly, the door to our room burst open and, in the doorway, Princesses Luna and Celestia stood before us, as well as Twilight and Lunar. The two regal princesses stepped forward and appeared to be cross with us, same with Twilight and Lunar, as they also stepped forward and stopped alongside Princesses Celestia and Luna across from us.

"Rarity, Robert," Celestia started, "is it true that you were the ones who did this to Princess Luna?"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked, trying to play it off that we had no idea what they were talking about.

"Don't play innocent with us, Rarity," Twilight shot back.

"That's right," contined Celestia, "Princess Twilight told us all we needed to know about you two and your condition."

"Why did you two do this?" Twilight asked, preparing to break down into tears. Lunar went to comfort her. "You both promised me that you wouldn't harm another pony."

"I...uh...well..." Rarity was unable to find the words to explain ourselves, but I was.

"It was me," I revealed, drawing some wicked glances and mean looks. Rarity started weeping after I said that.

"No, Robert," she sobbed, "please, don't do this."

"What are you talking about?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Explain yourself, Robert!" Princess Luna demanded.

"And you'd better hurry, too," Twilight added.

"We don't have all day." Lunar shot.

"I'm sorry, Rarity," I started, turning towards Lunar and the three princesses that stood before us, preparing to explain myself, "It was I who bit Princess Luna and made her a vampony. I...I just don't know what happened...I lost control. Princess, I'm so very sorry if I have cause you any trouble and, if you must, please spare Rarity. If there is anyone who should be punished here, it is me and only me. Please, don't harm my wife...harm me, because we all know now that I am the one who deserves it most. So go ahead, punish me, harm me, do whatever you want with me. Just promise to me that you won't harm Rarity at all."

I had poured out my heart into that explanation and plea for Rarity's safety. I felt tears begin to form in my eyes, but stopped them from escaping as I bravely stared down Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Prince Lunar, and Twilight. I kept my hooves on the ground and looked into each set of eyes that were glued onto me.

"Please leave her out of it and deal with only me." I requested.

"If that is true," Princess Celestia said, turning towards Rarity, "you are free to go."

"But, Robert-" Rarity called.

"You, however," interrupted Luna, "you are coming with us!"

I felt three strong magical sensations wrap around my body and begin to move me away from Rarity and out of the room we were in. Princesses Celestia and Luna, in accordance with Prince Lunar, escorted me away from Rarity as Twilight dealt with her. Before leaving the room, I managed to look back and mouth to Rarity...

"Goodbye, my dear."

After that, the doors shut behind us and Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Prince Lunar proceeded to take me away. I did not belong here after that little display. They took me far down into the castle in an area similar to the old Canterlot dungeons Rarity and myself were in a while ago. It was very dark and dusty down here and I did not know exactly how far the three royals took me before a metal door had squeaked open in front of us all. The tight and pounding magic aura then jerked forward and into the cell. I heard Princess Celestia whisper something to Princess Luna, I'm assuming, and begin exiting the dungeons. Only one set of hooves was heard, so I knew that Luna and Lunar remained behind.

"You will stay here, locked up for a long, long time!" Princess Luna shouted, tossing me into a dungeon cell harshly with her powerful magic.

"As long as you keep your promise and keep Rarity unharmed," I revolted, "you can keep me here for an eternity! She is the reason my heart beats and she will be waiting for me once I get out!"

"You don't get it, do you?" Princess Luna replied.

I stood silent, having a look on my face of disgust and hopefulness, believe it or not, but mostly of disgust. I cannot believe my favorite Princess was doing this to me.

**Dumbass, you brought this upon yourself! You're wondering why she's doing this when **__**you're**__**the reason why? How stupid can you get?**

Shut the fuck up...I'm not in the fucking mood.

**Language mister.**

Fuck you.

"As alicorns," Princess Luna continued, "we never die! We've been around for thousands of years and you're the one who thinks that we'll let you go and cause more mayhem? You are pathetic! You may think that you are a star out there, but in here you're nothing more than a trapped being!"

"That's where you're wrong!" I defiantly said, slamming my body into the cold, iron bars that separated me from Luna and Lunar.

I slammed into the bars hard, unfortunately not making a single dent in them. Luna saw this and saw how I had hurt myself and had begun laughing! She was laughing! At me!

**Well, to be honest, you did deserve this type of cruel and unusual punishment.**

How the hell is this cruel and unusual? I'm in a fucking cage for fuck's sake!

**Not to mention, you were small at one point in time during your...stay here.**

Small...that's it! If I can somehow adjust my size again, I'll be able to escape from these tyrants and see Rarity once more!

**But don't you think that it will be fishy if they find out that you're trying to escape with tiny size? And even if you did manage to escape, how would you get home? How would you protect yourself from Celestia, Luna, and Lunar? What would you do, huh? Run away with a crucial member of the Elements of Harmony? They can deal with villains without you! But without Rarity!? That's inhumane!**

Your idea was smart, but your word choice is ridiculous! I'll find a way to defend myself from Celestia, Luna, and Lunar if it's the last thing I do! I don't care what it takes anymore...I. Will. Survive!

**No you won't...you'll be walking into your own deadly grave! The only way you would get away with this and not be noticed was if you fought against either Luna or Lunar in a magic duel.**

That sounds ridiculous, but I'll give that idea a try first.

"You'll be here for a long time, Robert!" Luna shouted again, preparing to leave, probably with Lunar.

"Wait!" I called. "I have a proposition for you!"

That got Luna to stop and turn around to listen to what I had to say. She whispered something to Lunar, probably telling him to go on since I heard hoofsteps continue leaving the dungeon, leaving only Luna and myself alone.

"Go on..." she told me.

_That's a good sign. _ I thought. "Well, I challenge you to a magic duel!"

"What for?" Luna evilly chuckled. "You know that I'm more powerful than you are! After all, I have Nightmare Moon to thank for that and...and now you!"

"So what do you have to lose?" I challenged. "Tell you what: If you win, you can feel free to do whatever you want with me with no penalty. No matter how cruel or unusual the punishment is, you can feel free to do it to me."

"Deal!" Luna replied, unlocking my cage.

"Wait..." I continued, "If I win, you give me a full pardon under the law."

"Robert," Luna continued, "Celestia as my witness, I will defeat you and wipe the floor with you with my magic!"

"Consider yourself history, Luna!" I shouted.

"That's _Princess _Luna, thou ungrateful whelp!" Luna told me.

"Is that you __only __insult?" I teased.

"You better watch yourself, Robert," Luna replied, "or I'll call off our little bet."

"My dear," I continued, "I will be the one who will be victorious!"

"In your dreams, little colt!" Luna teased.

"Shall we have our little duel here?" I asked, confidence sounding in my voice.

"No," Luna answered, "we shall duel outside, near the courtyard, for everypony to see!"

"So, you will be defeated in front of all your subjects by a commoner there and be embarrassed in front of everyone!" I replied.

Princess Luna smirked, teleporting us both to the outer courtyard in front of the castle. Outside, Luna managed to draw in a very large crowd. It was overwhelming, but defeating the Princess in a duel is what I was here to do, and was what I was going to accomplish.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," Luna started, "be amazed by my power of magic and watch as this commoner attempts to challenge me, Princess Luna, to a magic duel!"

"Oh my," I heard Octavia say.

"This dude can't be serious!" Another voice said.

"Vinyl!" Octavia scolded the pony who said that.

"This is going to prove to be an easy duel for Princess Luna." somebody else stated.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," I stated, trying to redeem my already slandered name, "I will prove to you all that even a commoner can defeat royalty!"

Princess Luna and myself then set ourselves across from each other and prepared to duel each other in the center of the town square.

"You may attack first." Princess Luna told me.

"Only the weak attack first!" I shouted in reply.

"Which is why I told you to go first!" Luna said.

"Fine..." I answered in reply. "But, I will make sure that you will regret that decision!"

I then sent over a beam of magic from my horn towards Princess Luna and our duel was set to begin.

I blasted Princess Luna with some of my magic, thinking that she would jump out of the way or teleport away so that she could protect herself. Instead, she stood stationary and allowed my magic beams to strike her down. What really surprised me was that my magic seemed to have little to no effect on the Princess of the Night.

"Oh," Vinyl said, "this dude is gonna lose!"

"Vinyl!" Octavia snapped.

"Is that the best you've got?" Princess Luna teased. "How pathetically weak...and you're supposed to be the Element of Happiness?"

"This Element holder won't go down without a fight!" I claimed.

"You're the weakest Element of them all!" Luna shouted, blasting me with a beam of magic from her own horn.

I managed to dodge the direct beam, but did take some unusual splash damage, which did do a toll on me. If the damage I got dealt was only from splash damage, imagine how much pain I'd be in if it were the direct attack!

"Just give up already!" Luna stated. "It's a lost cause..."

"Never," I defiantly answered, "as an Element holder, we never take defeat as an answer! I will fight my best until the very end!"

"And the end is just in the line of vision." Luna claimed, shooting a wide beam of magic at me.

This beam hit me directly and did a ton of damage to my body. I had fallen to the ground and tried getting back up, but found that task to be much harder than what it seemed to be. Princess Luna had stepped forward and put a hoof on top of my neck, seconds away from claiming victory. I looked over my shoulder and saw Luna prepare for a particularly rather magic beam to hit me with.

__One last shot...__

I placed all my strength into my horn and blasted Luna with a surprise beam, sending her flying off of my body and far away towards the other side of the circle that had surrounded itself around us. This gave me time to finally stand back up, but my four knees were severely weak. I trembled before the might of this insanely powerful alicorn and was struggling to stay up, though I had gone way too far beyond my limits and unfortunately collapsed on the ground again. Luna saw this and slowly approached me, deciding to embarrass me in front of everyone who had crowded around.

"This, everypony," started Luna, "is the biggest reason why you don't act out against your rulers, for if you do, this will certainly happen to you as well. This local commoner thought that he could defeat a pony that had much more experience with magic than he did, and look at him now! He can't even stand on his own hooves anymore! Take this as a learning experience as to how powerful Princess Celestia and I really are as well as my former pupil, Prince Lunar."

I closed my eyes, preparing myself for one final blow. I was down, but most certainly not out. I may not have as much experience with magic as Luna does, but if there is one thing that Twilight taught me, it's how to take someone else's magic and make it your own, meaning, if someone hits you with some kind of magic, you can take it and make it something else. I knew that Princess Luna was going to blast me with magic, so I prepared myself to transform that magic into a size reduction spell and a healing spell.

"This is where it all ends, Robert!" Luna stated, putting her hoof on my neck once more.

__Indeed it is.__

Luna's aura started encasing her horn as she charged up her magic slowly.

_And in five...four...three...two...one..._

Luna's magic was released from her horn and pelted my body and, as it hit me, it was being transformed into what I wanted to do. I began to feel stronger, and I also began to feel my size change. I was growing stronger and was shrinking at the same time!

"Oh, no you don't!" Princess Luna shouted, towering over me and overshadowing my entire body.

Her hoof came crashing down as I managed to get out of the way just in time. While I was trying to be located, I took this opportunity to run away and try and locate Rarity. I figured that she still must be back in the room we were given, so I decided to hustle over there first and check that out. If she wasn't there, then it would be best to try and search for her back home in Ponyville.

**Umm, you have one slight problem brainy...**

And what's that?

**Well, it's just that you're small...and you have three, possibly four princesses to worry about, not to mention the other Element holders and Lunar, if they found out who you really are and what you really did.**

I'll take care of that once the time comes, but right now, I need to get the hell out of here before Luna spots me!

I ran away as fast as I could, fortunately finding a large hole in the crowd and running towards it. Behind that hole was a dense forest – the forest from last night, to be specific – and I decided to spend some time there until the crowd disperses. I felt the ground shake and tremble, so I gave a quick look to whatever was behind me and noticed that Princess Luna had spotted me and was making her way over towards me and, based off of how fast she was going, she appeared as if she wanted to crush me to death! I sprinted my heart out to get to the forest, fortunately making it there in one piece and diving deep into some secondary bushes and shrubs. Princess Luna attempted to locate me, but after an hour of searching for a tiny pony in these big shrubs and bushes, it was becoming more and more of a lost cause.

After a while, she ceased the search and traveled back to the castle. The other members of the crowd that were left also dispersed and I decided to stay put for a while longer and keep my guards up, for I was now a wanted criminal in the large, prestigious capital city of Canterlot.

* * *

Seven hours have come and gone and I can confidently say that I am all alone now. I arose from the bush and ran away as fast as my tiny hooves would carry me and my body. I figured that searching for Rarity in the Canterlot castle was a lost cause, so I headed straight for the train station in order to board the next train back to Ponyville.

Along the way, I had a couple of close calls, nearly getting crushed by a handful of ponies of all kind. I couldn't let that bother me since I was a fugitive now, though I really would've liked having a little time to scold every single pony that tried to unknowingly kill me.

**There it is, buddy, the train station! You're almost out of this fucking mess.**

Almost, but not just yet.

I felt the ground tremble and shake vigorously as I got closer to the train station. In the distance, a train was coming. I sprinted as fast as I could in order to catch it, fortunately making it on board just as the doors were closing themselves.

I hid underneath a nearby seat and decided to keep it cool and stay low for the time being. After a while, other ponies started entering the coach I was in and a couple of ponies eventually sat on top of the seat I was hiding underneath for dear life. They began chatting away, and I began to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"So where exactly are we headed to?" One of them asked.

That voice sounded oddly familiar...I've heard that voice somewhere before...

"Princess Twilight requested our appearance in Ponyville in order to help out with the investigation of that pony we saw earlier who was defeated by Princess Luna, Vinyl." Another familiar sounding voice stated.

"So Twilight knows about this mess, huh?" I quietly spoke.

"I don't see what the big deal is here, Octy," Vinyl replied back, "after all, the dude got beaten and probably won't be anywhere near here after that display."

"That may be true, Vinyl," continued Octavia, "but Rarity is back in Ponyville as well and he may try to see her again."

"What does Rare have to do with this?" Vinyl questioned.

"Her name is Rarity, Vinyl," snapped Octavia, "and Rarity is that pony's wife. They had just recently gotten married and I played my cello in their ceremony."

"So he may be trying to get some lovin' with Rare then, huh?" Vinyl said.

"I suppose if that's your way of saying that he wants to see her again," Octavia sighed, "then I suppose so."

The two continued chatting away while I tuned out and decided weighing my options down heavily. If I saw Rarity, there would be a slight possibility that I would get captured by Twilight herself. However, if I didn't, then...then...I don't know...but I don't want to find out about it either.

"Ponyville Train Station!" The conductor shouted.

I waited for the train to completely stop moving before bolting out of the door and back home. I figured that it would be best if I waited for Rarity to come home instead of getting myself tangled in another mess again.

I sprinted to the Carousel Boutique and squeezed my way under the door and inside the home. I looked around inside and was completely thankful that Opalescence was nowhere to be seen. I had taken this rare opportunity and ran up to our room, hoping to wait for Rarity in our bed.

The door was open, but the room was dark. I walked into the room foolishly and found out that I had stepped foot into a trap...

"We got you now!" screamed Twilight.

I found out that I had become surrounded by my friends...Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight. Rarity was nowhere to be seen and I tried reasoning my best with these five gigantic ponies...

**Robert, I knew thee well...**

Shut up, I ain't dead yet!

"Twilight, please!" I pleaded.

"No, that's it!" Twilight barked.

"You have had one too many chances to prove yourself!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Please, Rainbow," Twilight snapped, "let me deal with him."

"Please...I promise that-"

"You promise what?" Twilight interrupted. "You've already made a few promises and look where that has gotten you!"

"But-"

"But nothing!" Twilight screamed.

I gulped.

"I told you that if I felt that you were breaking your promises, that I would make you pay," continued Twilight, "which is what I plan on doing right here and now!"

Twilight wrapped her magic aura around my body and quickly and rapidly brought me up to her face. She opened her mouth and started dangling me above it, claiming that I had this coming for a long time now.

"Please, Twilight!" I yelped. "I'm sorry! I promise that I'll change! Just please...have mercy on my soul! I'm sorry, Twilight! I'm sorry!"

"That's Princess Twilight for your information!" Twilight shouted as she dropped me into her mouth.

I tried my best fighting my way out, but Twilight's muscles inside her mouth were forcing me down her throat...

"Good riddance." I heard Rainbow Dash say through the walls of Twilight's stomach.

I had dropped into Twilight's stomach after being forced down her throat. It was then that her acidic juices were damaging my skin and killing me slowly. To be honest, I had gotten what I deserved. I was a criminal the entire time I was here, helping save Equestria just once, but coming close to certain death plenty of times.

* * *

"Good riddance!" Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Ah thought that he was humble and modest..." Applejack added.

"Well you thought wrong apparently." snapped Rainbow Dash.

Twilight felt her stomach grumble and heard it make some noise. She figured that Robert was being digested inside of her, which was a light punishment based off of what he did to Princess Luna and the kingdom of Canterlot. He deserved a more harsh punishment, but being eaten was the worst she could do at the current moment.

"And that was totally awesome how you dealt with him, Twilight." Rainbow Dash praised.

"Thanks, Rainbow," Twilight replied, "though I really wish I could have punished him more harshly than I did...being eaten was too light of a punishment..."

"But it sure looked fun eating him, right?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Did he taste like chicken or like chocolate? Ooh, ooh! Did he taste like a chocolate chicken!?"

"Umm, no, Pinkie," Twilight answered sheepishly, "just a lot of crunching bones."

"Bones cracking..." Fluttershy shivered. "Didn't that hurt you?"

"Oddly, not really." said Twilight.

"Just one question, Twi," Applejack continued.

"And what's that, Applejack?"

"How are we gonna explain this to Rarity?" She responded.

Neither Twilight nor the others actually thought of that; how were they going to explain this to Rarity? After all, Rarity loved him and helped shape him into who he was.

_What will she do if she found out that her husband was eaten alive? _She thought to herself._ And by me, no less!_

After thinking it over for a while, Twilight finally answered Applejack's question. "I...I don't know."

"We could say that he was locked up in the Canterlot dungeons." Pinkie Pie suggested.

"We all know that this is true." Rainbow Dash chimed.

"It does seem to make the most logical sense, Pinkie," agreed Twilight, "but if we tell her that, she'll probably go search for him."

"Search for who?"

Stunned by the new voice, the five friends all turned their attention towards the doorway that led into the bedroom. Rarity was standing before them all and looked a tad confused as to what they all were talking about.

"Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed. "I...I..."

"Don't worry, darling," Rarity replied, "I'm quite all right. Have any of you ladies seen Robert? I haven't heard from him these last few hours...have any of you heard from him?"

The five other Element holders all exchanged looks of uneasiness with each other, all of which managed to backtrack back to Twilight. She sighed, letting Rarity know the "truth."

"Princess Luna locked up Robert in the Canterlot dungeons, Rarity," Twilight told Rarity, "that's where he is."

"But I was just there and Princess Luna and Princess Celestia alerted me that he has escaped!" Rarity noted. "They told me they had sent Lunar out to search for him, but I figured that he would rush straight back here so he could see me once more."

"Umm..."

"Am I missing something here, Twilight?" Rarity asked, her fangs extending themselves out a bit.

"No," Twilight lied, "no you're not! R-right girls?"

"Nope." Rainbow Dash smirked.

"Nuh-uh." added Applejack.

"I don't think so..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"Totally not!" smiled Pinkie Pie.

"Well," continued Rarity, "if you hear from Robert, let him know that I'm here waiting for him. Now if you'll excuse me, I do require some sleep. I'll see you all in the morning."

"Goodnight, Rarity." The friends simultaneously spoke as they left her room.

"Goodnight, everypony." Rarity replied.

Twilight and the others left Rarity's home quickly and all glanced towards each other once they were a safe distance away from her. She sighed and looked back towards Rarity's bedroom window, seeing the light flicker off.

"How do we explain that I ate him?" Twilight asked nopony in particular.

"That's a touchy subject that I don't want any part of." Fluttershy claimed.

"Now, now, Fluttershy," Twilight claimed, "you're just as part of this as we are. You saw me eat him..."

Fluttershy looked away and slowly nodded.

"We're all in this together," continued Twilight, "whether we want to be, or not."

"Alright, everypony," Applejack said, "we need tuh improvise here. How do we let Rarity know what happened to Robert without breakin' her lil heart?"

The five thought about that for a long time. Unfortunately, no good ideas were tossed around, just heart breaking ones. Twilight knew that they sounded good now for the short run, but in the long run, it would destroy Rarity's heart. When all hope seemed lost and nothing else came to mind, it was unanimously agreed to let Rarity know that Robert has passed.

"Passed?" questioned Rainbow Dash.

"Well," Twilight started, "it is true, in a way. To pass means that he could have died. If we leave it at "Robert has passed," it leaves the door open to plenty of explanations. None of those logical explanations are correct, seeing how he passed through my stomach, but he did still pass."

"That sounds weird." claimed Rainbow.

"Weird," added Applejack, "but it jus' night work!"

"It sounds like a logical explanation, right Pinkie?" Fluttershy chipped in.

"I have no idea." Pinkie Pie playfully said.

"So that'll be it." confirmed Twilight. "Our way of telling Rarity that Robert has died is by telling her that "Robert has passed." We'll tell her first thing we see her tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like a plan, Twi." Applejack praised.

"Thank you, Applejack," she continued, "now I must be going. I am really exhausted and want to get some much needed sleep. I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"Goodnight, Twilight." They all told her.

"Goodnight, girls." replied Twilight as she proceeded to go back home and rest up for the night.

Once she was far away from everypony so that she was the only one who could hear myself talk, Twilight began wondering to herself if that explanation will work and Rarity won't be left heartbroken. Lifting her front left hoof towards her stomach, Twilight gently touched it, feeling around and trying to ease her choice. It felt weird to her because she swore that she could feel some kicking near the area she felt.

"Kicking?" questioned Twilight, drawing an unusual conclusion. "Robert's still alive!"

* * *

The next day, Twilight pushed to call everyone into her home. She honestly didn't know why she waited so long to let the others know that Robert was still alive inside of her, or even how that was scientifically possible for that matter, but she alerted the others to come see me as soon as they could, getting each of them, minus Rarity, to come to her home within minutes.

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Applejack asked curiously.

"It's Robert," Twilight replied, "he's still alive!"

"That's wonderful!" Fluttershy claimed.

"No it's not," Rainbow Dash revolted, "it's horrible!"

"Rainbow's right, Fluttershy," heeded Twilight, "it is horrible because he's alive, inside of me. If we were to magically extract him from my stomach, he'd surely tell Rarity everything that has happened to him, making us look like the villains."

"So what do we do?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Can't you perform some kind of spell that erases his memory?" Rainbow Dash added.

"No..." answered Twilight. "My magic can only help ponies remember things, not forget them..."

"What about Princess Celestia?" asked Applejack.

"What about her?" Twilight added.

"Well," responded Applejack, "her magic is the most powerful of any pony, right?"

"Right," answered Twilight, "but what...does...that have to do...?"

Twilight didn't even need to finish her question, for she knew exactly what Applejack was suggesting. Thinking about it vigorously and heavily, Twilight decided that it would be best to visit Princess Celestia on the matter. Moments later, however, Twilight immediately went back on that idea and concluded that seeing the Princess of the Day should be our last thing on their list to perform, should everything else fail.

"Robert is a fugitive and an escaped criminal from the kingdom of Canterlot," Twilight reminded everyone, "if we brought him there, Rarity would never see him again."

"So, what do we do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"All we can do now is get him out of me." suggested Twilight.

"Is that really a good idea right now?" Fluttershy wondered.

"It's one of the last things I want to do," Twilight claimed, "but we don't have plenty of options. If he stays inside of me any longer...he may die inside of me."

Sighing slightly, Twilight collectively stopped her nerves, just like her sister-in-law, Princess Cadance, taught her. She looked back at her friends and proceeded to ask them a very, very important question.

"I will magically remove him from inside of me and increase his height enough so that holding him down will be easy." Twilight told them. "I need you all to promise that you will help hold Robert down...can you do that for me?"

"Of course, Twilight." Applejack replied.

"Sure thing, Twi!" Rainbow Dash added.

"I'll try..." squeaked Fluttershy.

"Totally!" finished Pinkie.

Twilight smiled slightly, thankful that her friends would help her out. "Thank you, all of you. Now please be careful...this is somepony else we're dealing with here you know..."

"Whaddya mean, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"We are dealing with an escaped criminal and, to top it all of, a vampony." Twilight alerted them. "I'm afraid that he'll try to bite one of you, so I need you all to be extremely careful...promise me that you will do your best to hold him down and stay safe."

"We promise, Twilight." The four friends answered back in unison.

"Thank you," Twilight replied.

Twilight then planted her hooves on the ground and allowed her magic to embrace her horn in its awestruck, magenta colored aura. She closed her eyes and needed to get deep down inside of her – no pun intended – to trace her teleportation spell for use on other ponies, a spell she doesn't really use much too often. Within a few moments, Twilight managed to trace the spell and thought about her target, Robert. For a teleportation spell to work, for those who don't have magic or do not understand what true magic – unicorn and/or alicorn magic – can truly do, the unicorn – or alicorn, depending on who is performing the spell – needs three things: the target or a visual of the target, a visual of the destination, and magic that surpasses beyond the average unicorn. Unicorns who lack in the superior knowledge of magic can perform this type of spell, but upon completion, the spell leaves them completely drained of their magic, and, in case none of you intelligent, complex looking ponies know, it takes a long time for magic to recharge itself.

Twilight thought hard about her target, Robert, and began casting the spell. She felt something lift up from inside of her stomach and suddenly teleport away to a spot that the others were surrounding tightly. Twilight also immediately casted a growth spell and increased Robert's height so that it would be easier for them to hold him down. She didn't make him his normal height, just about half of his original size, the size of a little filly such as Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle, to be more exact.

"Now, Robert," Twilight began, "we have to talk."

Robert appeared to be against the talking, struggling mightily to break the grasps that mainly Rainbow Dash and Applejack had on him, unable to do so though. He coldly stared at Twilight before saying something at long last.

"Let. Me. Go!" he yelled, extending his fangs rapidly.

"Hurry up, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"It's getting' hard to hold 'em down!" added Applejack.

"I'll make it as quick and easy as possible." Twilight told them, paying her attention back towards Robert. "We don't want to stretch this out too long now, do we?"

"You let me go!" He yelled again.

"No," answered Twilight, "not now...not yet."

She approached Robert slowly and gave him the best evil impersonation she could do, trying her best to scare him silly.

"You don't scare me, you know." Robert coldly said.

"Then let's fix that up," Twilight replied, eyes half-shut and smirking slightly.

"Let me go!" Robert hissed, eyes becoming red.

"Why should we?" she asked, actually wanting to hear his defense.

"Because...I have rights, too!" He shouted back.

"Maybe back home you did," Twilight coldly replied, "but you don't understand fully how Equestria works with our way of laws and services."

"This is inhumane!" Robert continued.

"__You're __inhumane!" snapped Twilight.

"__You __are inhumane, Twilight!" He shot back.

"That's __Princess __Twilight for your information" she told him. "Plus, __you__are inhumane since _you _were the one who _infected _Princess Luna, thanks to _your _actions! _You _should be the last one who should be putting the blame on anypony else! Thanks to _you, _we now have a vampony as a _princess_!"

"You should've done a better job preparing for this kind of thing!" Robert claimed. "You've all been living with one for a long time! Now, when there is now _two _of us to deal with, _I'm _the bad guy?"

"We never had to prepare for something like this since Rarity promised us that she would never harm another pony!" Twilight spoke.

"And I'm not a part of that?" Robert shot back. "After all, I was just like you before! Now, I'm like Rarity! I hope that you can put two-and-two together, Twilight."

"__Princess__ Twilight!" Twilight snapped again.

"I'm sorry," Robert disgustingly replied, "__Princess __Twilight, I do hope that you can put two-and-two together."

"Is that and insult?" Twilight muffled.

Robert looked up at the petite princess and stared into her lilac colored eyes, smiling falsely. "No," he hissed, "it's not."

"Watch yourself." Twilight warned, embracing her horn with her magenta aura. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to you now, right?"

"Let...me...go!" Robert shouted, struggling mightily to break himself free.

"Not until you get something straight first!" Twilight shot back.

Twilight actually tried reasoning with Robert about their little predicament they were all currently in. She tried her best but ultimately began to lose control of the situation once Robert began flailing himself heavily, breaking free from Rainbow Dash's grasp. He shuffled Applejack as well and looked right at Twilight and began charging her, fangs extended and eyes colored demonically red.

"Twilight! Look out!"

Twilight fortunately managed to teleport herself away from Robert's attack. However, what she completely forgot was that she had been standing in front of the door the entire time. Robert took this opportunity and ran right out of Twilight's home, probably in search for Rarity. Twilight reappeared next to Applejack and gave them all a quick glance.

"We've got to stop him!" she alerted them, though they already knew this.

"Come on, y'all!" Applejack added.

The five ponies ran out of Twilight's home and after Robert as fast as their hooves would allow them to go. Rainbow Dash flew at a blazingly fast speed as the rest of the group ran after Robert. They could see Robert in the distance, but none of them seemed to be catching up with him. Instead, he seemed to be getting away from them. Twilight looked up at Rainbow Dash and requested that she go on ahead and slow Robert down.

"I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flying off ahead, hoping to stop him in his tracks.

"We have to beat Robert to Rarity's home!" Twilight called out to the others.

"But he's faster than us!" claimed Fluttershy, panting for some needed air.

"That doesn't mean that we can't beat him there," she replied, "now let's hustle everypony! Applejack, Pinkie Pie, keep chasing Robert with Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy and I will fly over to Rarity and hopefully beat Robert there."

"Sure thing, Twi!" Applejack assured, running up ahead along with Pinkie Pie.

"Come on Fluttershy," Twilight called out, "let's fly to Rarity's."

"I'd much prefer flying rather than running, Twilight." Fluttershy told me. "Thank you..."

"Don't thank me yet!" replied Twilight as they took off into the skies for the Carousel Boutique.

Looking down while we were in the skies, Twilight noticed that Rainbow Dash had started gaining some ground on Robert while Applejack and Pinkie Pie were slowly but surely falling behind. Rainbow Dash made an attempt to tackle Robert down, but missed and lost all of her momentum that she had. She hit the ground hard and caused Applejack and Pinkie Pie to trip over her, leaving Robert all by himself. Now, it was a race between Robert the vampire, Fluttershy, and Princess Twilight to Rarity's home.

"Come on, Fluttershy," called Twilight, "we need to pick up the pace. Double time, go!"

"I'm not sure I can go faster, Twilight!" Fluttershy replied.

"You can do it, Fluttershy," Twilight heeded, trying to motivate the timid yellow Pegasus, "I know you can!"

"I can't, Twilight!" she shouted.

"You can!" Twilight assured her. "Rest up once we get to Rarity's home!"

The two flew as fast as they could, hoping that they could beat out Robert to the Carousel Boutique and, by the looks of it, it definitely appeared like it was going to be one close race. Up ahead in the distance was the destination, the Carousel Boutique. Down below Twilight and Fluttershy, they saw that Robert was just behind them.

_He may be smaller than the two of us, but he sure is fast for a vampire... _Twilight thought to herself.

"Twilight, look out!" called Fluttershy.

"Wha-?"

Twilight crashed into the top bedroom window of Rarity's home, probably beating Robert to Rarity. She hit Rarity's bedroom wall hard and nearly passed out on impact, eyes dazed and head feeling light. Shaking her head furiously, Twilight managed to pull herself back together, just as Fluttershy entered the room. A distraught Rarity was glancing at both Twilight and Fluttershy cold and hard, a bit angered at them for crash landing in her bedroom.

"Can I hel...?"

"Rarity!" Robert called out.

__Great...__ thought Twilight, __we made it here at the same time...__

"Robert!" Rarity called out, embracing him in a loving hug.

"Rarity!" Robert replied, kissing Rarity on her lips.

"Robert," Rarity started again, "why are you smaller now?"

"The reasons stand before you, dear." Robert said.

"Who?" questioned Rarity. "Them?"

"Yes, them!" Robert claimed.

"Twilight?" Rarity called, turning towards Fluttershy and myself. "Is that true?"

"Well," Twilight chuckled uncomfortably, "you see...there's a funny story to that."

"Care to explain it then, Twilight?" Rarity asked, a bit annoyed.

Twilight uncomfortably chuckled again, looking over to the rest of her friends that have just arrived and ran through the door at that very second.

"Twi...light!" Rainbow Dash gasped.

"I know," Twilight replied, "Robert is here in front of us."

"Explain yourself, Twilight!" Rarity ordered. "From one royal pony to another, I want you to explain your actions to me right now."

Twilight looked back at Rarity and gave her a look and a speech she really wished she could take back.

"First off, Rarity," Twilight began, "you are not the same royal pony I am. You are a unicorn, nothing more. Now, as a vampony, you are a Queen, which I'm fine with yourself considering that. A vampony and an alicorn are nowhere near the same level in social class statures. I am far above you, though I hate saying that. As for Robert, I was going to keep this from you, but you've left me with no choice. Robert here is an escaped criminal from Canterlot. As it states in my royal duties, I must return Robert to his prison back in Canterlot, whether you like it or not!"

"Way to...go, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash praised, still collecting some needed air.

Rarity stared heavily back at Twilght, obviously annoyed by this troubled nonsense. Twilight wasn't sure how Rarity would handle her speech and declaration, so she kept her guard up enormously. She needed to since she herself had no royal guards of her own to protect her here in Ponyville and while Prince Lunar was away, looking for the same pony that was currently in front of them. Then again, it was Twilight's idea to not have royal guards. Spike was plenty of help here and, though he may still be a baby dragon, he can definitely defend himself as well as me, so can Prince Lunar, especially now since he lives with Twilight and Spike.

"Rarity," Twilight said after some tense silence, "Robert is coming with me."

"No," Rarity replied, "I forbid you from taking one of my subjects away from me!"

"He's my subject, Rarity," Twilight answered, "as are you. Now, as your Princess, I am telling you to hand Robert over to me."

"No."

"I'll ask nicely once more," Twilight replied, growing a tad more annoyed, "give me Robert. Now."

"No."

"To each their own," Twilight stated, paying her attention back towards Robert, "Robert, you're coming with me now."

Rarity shot a look up and had her fangs extended and her eyes had become red like Robert's. She started hissing at Twilight, which was unusual since nobody in the room ever heard Rarity make that sound before. She started charging at Twilight, so Twilight jumped immediately out of the way, managing to get away from Rarity. The others ran over, crowding around Twilight, helping her fight back Rarity and Robert. The two vamponies tried surrounding the five ponies, eventually pushing them into corner of the room. The two vamponies slowly approached the five as they all hugged the corner as much as they could, hoping to find some strength so that Twilight could teleport all of them directly to safety.

"Now, Twilight," a demonic Rarity started, "you know how much I cherish our friendship, seeing how we've done almost everything together. But, this is where I draw the line. You threatened to take away Robert from me, a fellow Element holder. I will make you pay for that, friend or not. I'm sorry it had to be this way!"

"This is payback for eating me yesterday!" Robert added.

"You'll have to get through us if you want to get to Twilight!" Rainbow Dash defended.

At that moment, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight pounced on Rarity and Robert and exchanged a few punches while Pinkie Pie tended to Fluttershy, who was scared beyond belief. Fighting for a while, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack all grew tired after some time. Everything they did, Rarity and Robert took well, showing little signs of fatigue in their expressions.

Then, Robert punched Twilight hard, sending her flying to the other side of the room, while Rarity did the same to Rainbow Dash and Applejack when they were caught off guard. Again, Rarity and Robert approached the collapsed Twilight and threatened her yet again.

"Now," Robert smirked, "it finishes here."

Twilight covered up her face as she heard hooves clacking against the floor. She tried her best trying to find the strength to teleport herself away with all of her friends, but could not do so. She quivered up even more, preparing herself for her inevitable doom. She couldn't run away to safety either, for Rarity and Robert were both faster than she was.

__CRASH!__

__What was that?__ Twilight thought to myself.

Opening her eyes, Twilight saw that Princess Luna had crashed into the room, positioning herself right in front of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Princess Luna was protecting them from Rarity and Robert.

"Step aside, Luna!" Rarity ordered.

"Nay!" replied Luna. "Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends need help, thus I am here to provide it!"

"How did you know, Princess Luna?" Twilight asked.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both sensed that you were in danger, so Luna came as fast as she could, hoping to help." Lunar explained, flying through the window at that moment, seemingly out of breath.

"Lunar!" Luna cautioned. "Watch out and stay behind me. Make sure Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends are all safe."

"Will do," Lunar smirked, teleporting to the other side of the room, covering Twilight.

"Luna," Rarity continued, "as your Queen, I order you to stand aside! Twilight must get what is coming to her!"

"As your Princess, I forbid thee from hurting Princess Twilight!" Luna defended.

"Very well then," replied Rarity, "then you leave me no choice."

Rarity and Robert then attacked Princess Luna while Lunar tended to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Rarity was trying to forcefully get rid of Princess Luna and finish Twilight off, but Luna wouldn't let that happen.

_If Princess Luna came to help me, _Twilight thought,_ then it's only fair that I help her while she needs me most of all._

"Princess Luna," Twilight shouted once Lunar finished checking up on her, "allow me to help!"

"I shall not allow that, Twilight!" Robert responded, redirecting his attention from Princess Luna to Twilight, charging straight at her.

"Twilight!" Lunar called, reaching out in an attempt to stop her, but missing completely as Twilight charged towards Robert. He got up and also charged at Robert.

Now, Twilight and Lunar were in a fight for their lives with Robert. Twilight had to fight him off in order to stay natural and not become one of them, though that itself was a tough task. Twilight and Lunar were both up against Robert, who had super strength to go with his condition. As Twilight neared him, Robert tossed her aside as if she were a piece of paper. He tossed her with ease, slamming her into a wall, upon which Twilight's eyes shut, trying to endure the pain, though seemed to have little to no luck in doing so. Lunar, petrified that Twilight was badly hurt, then took a jab at Robert, to which Robert tossed him aside as well, but not as easily as Twilight. Lunar, finding his new center of balance, began charging at Robert once more, firing a beam of alicorn magic at him in the process. Robert, smirking in the process, took the beam with ease, then tackled Lunar, sending him flying through the wall and out into the hallway. Lunar managed to cover his head through the first wall, but was knocked out unconscious upon hitting the second wall with his horn, chipping it slightly.

Meanwhile, back in the room, Princess Luna saw that both Twilight and Lunar were both defeated, throwing her off pace slightly. She called out to Twilight to see if she was fine.

"Princess Twilight!" Luna shouted, leaving herself open to attack, which Rarity gladly accepted.

Princess Luna screamed out in pain as Rarity attacked her. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, as well as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie heard a fairly large sound smash against the floor and watched Princess Luna collapse to the ground. Finding bits of strength inside themselves, they collectively stood up and tackled Rarity and Robert.

"Really now?" smirked Robert.

"Do you all think that you can overpower us?" added Rarity.

"Stop this, Rarity," cried Applejack.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie remarked. "Somepony might get hurt!"

"Exactly!" Robert laughed as both he and Rarity tossed aside the remaining four ponies.

This hit, though it wasn't as strong as Twilight's hit, managed to ground the four remaining ponies, allowing Rarity and Robert to pay their attention back towards Twilight. They approached the collapsed Twilight and towered over her body.

"Such a shame it had to come to this, darling," Rarity smirked triumphantly.

"Now hold still, Twilight." Robert stated. "You won't feel a thing."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

"Right there!" Robert yelled, driving his fangs into Twilight's neck.

Twilight screamed out in pain, feeling blood ooze itself out of her body. The feeling of blood dripping from her, the feeling of teeth inside of her, the feeling of betrayal, the feeling of defeat, the feeling of abandonment, the feeling of being at the hooves of demons all ran through Twilight's head the moment Robert bit into her neck.

Soon after, Twilight felt the transformation start, and she tried her best to overcome this and stop said transformation, but her internal sobbing and external crying forbade that. Within minutes, Twilight fell to the likes of vamponies and was now becoming a blood thirsty psychopath!

_What do I do? _Twilight thought. _What do I do? How will Princess Celestia react to this? What about Princess Luna? Was she all right? And my Lunar? Is he fine too?_

"Rarity..." Twilight sadly started, fighting the tears. "Robert..."

"You brought this upon yourself, Twilight!" Robert shouted in reply.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, Twilight," added Rarity, "but you forced us to do this to you!"

"Y-you...penetrated me." stammered Twilight.

"And now, you're one of us." Robert concluded.

"Princess Luna..." Twilight said, looking over to her, noticing that her body was on the floor. She then called out to the defeated Lunar, whom was still unconscious out in the hallway.

"Erm, uh, do-don't worry about them, Twilight." Robert said.

"Princess Luna and Prince Lunar are just fine." Rarity claimed.

_You liar! _thought Twilight.

Twilight got up, thanks to her incredible new strength and slowly approached Princess Luna. As she got closer, she realized that something was wrong with the Princess of the Night - she wasn't breathing; She wasn't breathing and her mane wasn't moving like it normally does.

"What did you do to the Princess!?" Twilight barked.

"Relax, Twilight," Robert answered in response.

"Relax?" reiterated Twilight. "Relax!? What in the hoof is wrong with you!? I will not relax after what you have done to me and to Princess Luna!"

"It's okay, Twilight!" Rarity tried explaining.

"No it is not!" Twilight shot back. "It is far from okay, you hear me!? She is not moving! Don't you realize what you've done!? You've killed one of the royal ponies of Equestria!"

"Twilight," Rarity started, "look again."

"Why should I!?" Twilight snapped. "All I know is that you'll show me a dead body, you mentally incapacitated freaks!"

"Twilight," Robert started, "look behind you."

"I'm fine, Princess Twilight." Twilight heard a voice say, a voice that sounded like Princess Luna's voice.

That got her to turn around and notice that Princess Luna was indeed fine. Twilight was amazed and shocked at how she was standing before me as if nothing had happened to her!

"But...I...how?"

"Vamponies heal a lot quicker from their injuries, Twilight," Luna explained, "I learned that...in an interesting way, let's say."

Twilight was still shocked and amazed at how Luna stood before her with no physical injuries appearing on her. Rarity and Robert explained it to Twilight that vamponies heal substantially faster than normal ponies, but she still could not believe it.

"One might want to check on how Prince Lunar is doing, Princess Twilight." Princess Luna exclaimed.

"Lunar!" Twilight remembered, running out of the room to check on her Prince.

Meanwhile, in the room, Rarity and Robert were both aware of the situation and continued on with their plans.

"Now that we have two Princesses as vamponies," Robert started, "we can-"

"We can alert Princess Celestia of this travesty!" interrupted Rarity.

"My sister!" Princess Luna shouted, rushing over to Twilight. "Twilight, we must travel to Canterlot to alert her of your new condition. As for Rarity and Robert, we'll explain that this was an overnight occurrence and explain that we don't know where they fled to."

"But what about Lunar?" Twilight hesitated.

"I shall send for a medical pony to help him and your friends at once, Princess Twilight," Luna told her, "we don't have much time to spare."

"I...If you say so, Luna..." Twilight replied, still hesitant about leaving Lunar and her friends behind.

"Come, Princess Twilight!" Luna said. "We must go."

Twilight nodded and followed Princess Luna out of the Carousel Boutique and up into the skies. Something just didn't seem right, however, and was bothering Twilight to a heavy degree.

_It was as if this little scenario was scripted,_ Twilight contemplated to herself, _not real at all, in other words._

She eventually decided to bring this up to Princess Luna's attention as they flew through the skies together towards Canterlot.

"Princess Luna?" started Twilight.

"Yes, Princess Twilight?" She replied.

"Something doesn't seem right, right?" Twilight said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, doesn't it seem strange how those two are targeting Princesses such as you and I?" questioned Twilight.

"Perhaps it is just sheer coincidence." Luna answered.

"But when you came to help me," responded Twilight, "Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were also there, but they didn't seem as if they were out to bring much harm to them like me. Then there is Lunar..."

"I do remember them tossing Prince Lunar aside and through a wall, remember?" Luna pointed out.

"...that's true," Twilight heeded, "but still...they only seemed interested in turning me into a vampony and not Lunar."

"Perhaps mares such as you and I are stronger than stallions in this particular state," Luna explained, "perhaps that is why there is only one stallion that is a vampony and not two."

"But still," Twilight continued, "Lunar is an alicorn whereas Robert is a unicorn. I can safely assume that Lunar is far stronger than Robert is."

"Maybe as normal ponies," Luna advised, "but as a vampony, Robert might exceed Prince Lunar's physical abilities tenfold."

"I...guess that makes sense." Twilight spoke.

The remainder of the flight was solemnly silent. The two princess arrived in Canterlot a few minutes later and flew straight to the throne room in the Canterlot Castle. Upon flying through one of the retractable windows, they both saw Princess Celestia sitting atop her throne and tending to some papers as well. Once they entered the room, Celestia politely put down the papers and focused her attention on Princess Luna and Twilight.

"Twilight," Celestia started, "how are you?"

"Not too good, Princess Celestia." Twilight replied.

"What seems to be the matter, Princess Twilight?" Celestia asked almost as soon as Twilight finished her response.

"She was bitten by those horrid vamponies, my sister." Luna answered.

"Then...that means-"

"I am one of them, sadly..." Twilight confirmed.

"What about Rarity and Robert?" Celestia questioned.

"They were-"

"They had fled from sight before we could attempt to go after them." Luna answered for Twilight, lying to her older sister.

"That's a great travesty..." Celestia condoled.

"It is," Luna replied, "now if you'll excuse me, there is some business that I must attend to."

Luna walked immediately out of the room thereafter, leaving Twilight along with the most powerful pony there is in Equestria – her former mentor, Princess Celestia.

"Umm, Princess Celestia?" Twilight started once Princess Luna completely exited from the room.

"What is it, Princess Twilight?" Celestia elegantly and soothingly asked.

"Well, uh, Princess Luna...wasn't...exactly telling you the truth just now." Twilight alerted her.

"What do you mean, Twilight?" She questioned.

"About Rarity and Robert, Princess," continued Twilight, "they didn't exactly flee..."

"They didn't?" Celestia repeated. "Then where are they exactly?"

"Umm..."

Twilight stood silent. She honestly couldn't deal with giving up the location of her friends and the thought of having Princess Celestia come in and "take care of them," so to speak, clouded Twilight's mind heavily. She was on the brink of telling Princess Celestia of their whereabouts, but this situation seemed too fragile enough for that to even be an option. Twilight wanted to tell Princess Celestia, but her mouth forbade that action from occurring.

"Go on, Princess," Celestia told Twilight, "it's okay."

"R-Rarity and...Robert are back in Ponyville..." replied Twilight. "Back inside the Carousel Boutique, to be more specific. They didn't flee and they purposely attacked me and transformed me into this!"

"Something has to be done then." Celestia boldly explained, straightening herself out on her throne.

"What do you plan on doing, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"We simply cannot have this epidemic continue any further," Celestia replied, "do you not agree?"

"I agree fully," said Twilight, "but what are you planning to do to them?"

"I wish I knew, Princess Twilight," Celestia solemnly responded, "I really wish I did."

"Vamponies aren't your average, run-of-the-mill ponies, Princess." Twilight alerted. "If we want to get rid of them, we would have to have incredibly strong forces."

"We would," agreed Celestia, "but the fact of the matter is is that we cannot deliberately get rid of an Element holder. That would leave Equestria without one of its most important means of defense."

"How do we go about this then?" wondered Twilight.

"I don't have any answers to that, Princess Twilight." Celestia said.

The two princesses thought about some of the possible ways they could protect themselves or even all of Equestria, should an all out war or something equivalent to that take place between the ponies and the vamponies. In that moment, it dawned upon Twilight that the Elements of Harmony did belong to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia at one point in time before they took ownership of them.

_What if, perhaps, the Element of Generosity found somepony that was more suitable for the Element? _Twilight thought to herself. _It sounds like a completely insane idea, but it does have factual proof and evidence that it does indeed work if Celestia and Luna were once connected to them, and now we are._

"Princess Celestia." Twilight started after a momentary silence kicked in.

"What is it, Princess Twilight?" Celestia asked in reply.

"Now bear with me on this absolutely preposterous idea, but," she continued, "what if we found somepony else more qualified to hold the Element of Generosity? That way we could do something about this epidemic and Equestria will be safe. Does that sound like a possibility?"

"I see what you mean, Twilight," Celestia responded, "but do you know anypony who can fill in that role as the Element of Generosity or even the backup Element of Happiness?"

"Pinkie Pie can fill in the role of the Element of Happiness fairly easily," Twilight said, "but as for the Element of Generosity, I don't know who should be that..."

"Be what?" A new voice cried out.

Twilight turned around sharply and noticed that Rarity and Robert had entered into the Canterlot throne room, which was shocking to her.

_Why would they arrive here, _Twilight thought, _don't they know that they are wanted criminals?_

"Rarity," Celestia said, "Robert."

"Good day to you, Princess Celestia." Rarity replied.

"I wish it was." answered Celestia.

"What do you mean?" asked Robert.

Celestia then gazed over at Twilight before letting her horn become encased within her pale yellow aura. She looked over towards Rarity and Robert and attempted to hold them down with her magic. Rarity immediately picked up on this and countered with embracing her horn with her majestic blue aura, with Robert embracing his horn with his emerald green aura. In terms of magic, as long as Rarity and Robert had their horns covered by their magic, they were virtually untouchable, seeing how magic from anypony else used on either one of then would have no effect on them at all.

"It seems we've reached an impasse." Robert claimed.

"We know that you wanted to hold us against our will, Celestia," Rarity added, "but that simple won't happen. We are too powerful for that to occur."

"What do you want?" Celestia asked.

"What do we want?" Rarity repeated. "Well, Robert, what is it that we do want again?"

"Oh, Rarity," Robert said, "don't you remember? We want to rule Equestria!"

"Oh," continued Rarity, adding sarcasm to her voice, "that's right! Because Equestria needs a powerful ruler to lead it, and I am that powerful leader!"

"You must be significantly out of your minds," Celestia claimed, "that will never happen as long as I'm here!"

"Which is entirely why we are here, Celestia!" Robert stated.

With that said, Rarity and Robert began to charge and attack Princess Celestia. At that moment, Twilight jumped in and tried her best to hold both Rarity and Robert off while Celestia fled to safety. Princess Luna came back inside after hearing all of this commotion and helped out as well, trying to protect Princess Celestia as best as she could. This angered Rarity, causing her to strike both Twilight and Princess Luna down.

_I don't understand it,_ Twilight thought, _Rarity is a common unicorn who's also a vampony. Why is her magic and strength exceeding mine and Princess Luna's? Something doesn't add up here to know that a commoner is more powerful than royalty, and it's even more confusing since Robert was beaten by Princess Luna in a magic duel fairly easily, but can now hold himself easily against her now. What is going on here?_

"Twilight!" Rarity shouted. "Luna! What do you think you're doing!?"

"Protecting my sister!" Luna screamed.

"Pathetic!" Rarity claimed, hitting both Luna and Twilight with a beam of magic and sending them tumbling to the ground.

"Serves you right for acting out against Queen Rarity!" Robert said.

"You two will pay for the actions that you have chosen!" Rarity added, using her magic to transport Luna and Twilight away.

* * *

A few moments later, Princess Luna and Twilight had reappeared together inside one of the dungeons cells within the Canterlot dungeons. Twilight was alarmed, not knowing how safe Princess Celestia was without neither her nor Princess Luna to protect her now, and so was Luna. She seemed to be taking this heavily, wanting to see her sister safe and sound and not become one of us.

"Princess Celestia will be just fine, Princess Luna." Twilight tried telling Princess Luna.

"I know she will," Luna replied, "she's my sister and a powerful alicorn. She can handle for herself. It's just that we need to do something about Rarity and Robert."

"I agree," Twilight continued, "but until we can find a candidate to fill in the roles of either the Element of Generosity or the Element of Happiness, we can't do anything at the moment. If we did something now, Equestria would be left without one of its most powerful means of defense and, with villains like Discord and others, we cannot let that happen."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance." Luna said. "Remember, my sister and I were holders of the Elements long ago. Perhaps I could become a holder once more and help out in this predicament."

"It sounds like a wonderful and great possibility and idea. Princess," Twilight praised, "but we need to get out of here first before doing anything."

"Leave that to me!" Luna assured.

* * *

"Excellent work, Princess Luna!" exclaimed Twilight.

"Well, if there's one thing I know," Luna said, "it's the dungeons that my sister and I have in our own castle."

"Now we have to rush to the throne room and make sure Princess Celestia is all right." Twilight alerted. "I'm more than certain that she is, but I'd be more happy if we got to see it."

"I know what you mean, Princess Twilight." Luna replied.

The two princesses then rushed out of the dungeons Rarity and Robert had teleported them to and towards the throne room located on the top floor of the castle. They rushed out of the castle on the ground and started flying up to the throne room in order to save some very nonexistent time. Flying through one of the retractable windows, both Princess Luna and Twilight had noticed Rarity and Robert sitting atop Princess Celestia's throne together, with the regal princess nowhere in site.

"Where is Princess Celestia!?" Luna demanded.

"Come now, Luna," Rarity demonically spoke, "that's no way to talk to your Queen, you know!"

"You are not my Queen!" Luna protested. "I am your Princess!"

"Silence!" Rarity shouted, using her magic to dim the lights traumatically.

"Rarity," Twilight spoke, trying to ease the situation, "think about what you're doing here."

"Silence, Twilight!" Robert shouted, sending me a powerful beam of magic as a warning.

That got Twilight to shuffle backwards a bit, finding herself standing right next to Princess Luna. She managed to get a glimpse of Luna and her furious look. Twilight wasn't too sure, but if she could predict what was about to happen, she would say that Princess Luna was beginning to lose control of the nightmare forces that were lodged inside of her body. Somehow, she knew that when they used the Elements of Harmony on her all those years ago. Twilight was the only pony that truly understood what exactly had happened to her. Instead of separating Princess Luna and the nightmare forces, they had driven them down deep into Luna's mind, soul, and body. Now, it appeared as if they were breaking free and attempting to take over Luna once more.

"Excellent." Rarity stated in her demonic voice.

"Princ-AHH!" screamed Luna. "Princess...ugh...Twilight!"

"Princess Luna!" Twilight replied. "You've got to fight this!"

"Just a little more, Luna!" Rarity added.

"Princess, ugh, humph, Twili-aye-aye-ight!" Luna shouted, trying desperately to fight the emotions and actions that were taking over her body.

"You can do this, Princess Luna!" encouraged Twilight. "You're a strong pony!"

"Silence, Twilight!" Rarity told Twilight, blasting her away with her magic, hurting and wounding Twilight very much.

"Twilight!" Luna screamed through her pain.

One of the last things Twilight remembered before collapsing from sheer exhaustion was witnessing Princess Luna transform back into Nightmare Moon before her very eyes. She opened her eyes and glanced over towards Rarity, approaching her very, very slowly.

"The Queen of the Eternal Night hath returned once more!" Nightmare Moon roared.

Twilight shut my eyes and passed out from exhaustion as the echoes of Nightmare Moon's voice and Rarity's and Robert's voice rang through her piercing head.

_Equestria is being set up to fall harshly... _She thought to herself before completely losing consciousness.

* * *

"Hello? Anypony?"

"Twilight," a familiar voice said, "you shouldn't have waken up."

"Who's there?" Twilight quickly asked.

"Such a stubborn little mare you are," the voice continued, "you know that?"

"Who's there?" she repeated.

"What?" The voice asked. "Do you not know who I am? Do you not recall this predicament? Do you not remember anything at all?"

"Ni-Nightmare M-M-Moon?" Twilight stammered.

"Oh, how smart you are!" Nightmare Moon spoke.

"Princess Luna!" replied Twilight. "You're not Nightmare Moon! You're Princess Luna! Princess Luna is a strong pony who put Nightmare moon away for a long time...right?"

"Do not call me that name again!" Nightmare Moon roared. "Your precious Princess Luna has been overwhelmed by me and no longer controls us! I am in control! I have the power! I. Am. Nightmare Moon!"

"No you're not, Luna," she answered in reply, "you're better than this! What about Princess Celestia, huh? How do you think she'll respond when she sees you like this again!?"

"She won't be seeing me for a long, long time, you little foal!" Nightmare Moon said.

"Very, very good, Nightmare Moon." Twilight heard Rarity call.

"Rarity?" Twilight said out of shock.

"Welcome, Twilight," Rarity continued, "to my Equestria!"

"You said it would be mine!" claimed Nightmare Moon.

"We all say things, dear," said Rarity, glancing back over to Twilight, "my version of Equestria consists of ponies that are like me and you - vamponies! Robert is outside at the moment transforming ponies as we speak! In a few hours, Equestria will be mostly vamponies while everypony else tried to fight us back. It will prove to be useless and pointless, but the less that they know, the better it is for us! What do you say, Twilight? Join us and you get to remain a Princess!"

"I thought you were my friend, Rarity..." started Twilight, feeling some tears begin falling down her face.

"We all think things, dear." Rarity repeated.

Twilight was baffled, dismantled, and felt as if she had been shot down. Everything she thought was real between her and Rarity and their friendship was a lie.

_No, _Twilight thought, _that simply cannot be right. ___This ___simply cannot be right! Rarity would never act like this to anypony...so why is she doing this? Could it be that her vampire self is controlling both her and Robert? If that's true, why haven't I acting the same way? Is something missing from me that forbade the monster inside of me from controlling me? Is something wrong with me, was that it?_

Twilight ultimately decided to run away from this problem and deal with it by approaching it from another angle. Attacking the problem head on isn't always the best way to go about doing something. Sometimes, you have to approach the problem from a unique type of angle - the back, the left, the top - hopefully fixating said problem and thus, ceasing it.

While running out of the throne room that Rarity had claimed for herself, Twilight heard her laughing demonically. One final tear fell from her eye and hit the ground as she knew that our friendship turned out to be a hoax.

"She simply must be brought down!" Twilight declared, running away.

Twilight ran as far and as fast as her hooves would carry her. She ran away from fears, from her problems, but, most of all, she ran away from one of her friendships. She ran out of the throne room into a room where Princess Celestia took her one time when I was younger.

"This room is hidden away from everypony else." Twilight remembered Princess Celestia telling me. "It only appears to whoever should believe that it is there. You will find me there if anything horrific were to ever happen again in Equestria."

Twilight ran around, trying to locate this particular room, but seemed to be having the utmost of difficulty trying to find it.

_The door...the room...I know it's around here somewhere...but there's so many doors, I-I don't know which one is the right door. Is it this one?_ Twilight opened up the door, revealing just an empty bedroom. _Nope, this leads to the Princess' bedroom...could it be this one?_

Again, Twilight opened up another door, revealing an empty spare room.

_Horse apples...not through here either. I'm never going to find this door..._

Twilight looked and checked every single door this hallway had, not having a single bit of luck in locating the room Princess Celestia told her she would be in. Finally, she reached the end of the hall, but it just appeared to be an empty wall, nothing more, nothing less. Eventually, Twilight had given up on this hallway and began walking back towards the main hallway.

"Oh, Princess Celestia," She spoke out loud, "please...show me a sign that you're near..."

Upon saying that, a light shone from behind Twilight, which she took notice to almost instantaneously. She turned around and, sitting at the end of the hallway, she saw that a new doorway had appeared in front of her. Twilight approached the door and sheepishly placed her hoof on the door knob to see if it was a real door and not an illusion that her brain was pulling on her. Sure enough, Twilight felt the door knob and used her magic to open it partially.

"Hello?" She quietly asked, peering her head inside the room. "Is anypony here?"

The room was large and was a dark, magnificent indigo color. It had no lights, just candles providing some very, very poor light. Stepping into the room, the door rapidly shut behind Twilight all by itself, starling her and causing her to shuffle back as she gazed back at the door.

Shuffling backwards, Twilight bumped into something large. Turning around slowly, she noticed that she had bumped into Princess Celestia, who appeared to be unharmed, but was a bit worried about the condition of both Twilight and Princess Luna.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight happily said, embracing her with a hug.

"Princess Twilight," Celestia responded, exchanging Twilight's hug with one from her, "how is Princess Luna?"

"Umm...about that," Twilight stammered. She didn't want to tell Princess Celestia that Princess Luna has been taken over and is now Nightmare Moon once again, but Twilight's number of choices was severely limited and she would feel horrible if she told a simply lie about something so serious now.

"What's wrong?" asked a nervous Celestia.

"Princess Luna," Twilight gulped, "is...uhh...is..."

"She's...?"

"P-Princess Luna," paused Twilight, "is Nightmare Moon again."

"I feared that this day would come once more." Celestia responded.

"What do you mean?"

"When you and your friends transformed Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna using the Elements of Harmony long ago," explained Celestia, "I sensed that she wasn't the same."

"How so?"

"I sensed that Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon were still one," Celestia said, "that the control of her body shifted from Nightmare Moon to Princess Luna."

"...you knew..." Twilight slowly stated.

Celestia nodded, "I most certainly did. I knew that if you six hadn't done that, Princess Luna would not be here this very moment. I've feared that this day would come once more for a long time. I sensed that Luna was...changing her way of life, especially now, thanks to her condition. But...but what really is mind boggling to me is the fact that Luna resented her inner self and Nightmare Moon returned, but you're completely fine, as if you're not suffering from the same condition the Luna is suffering from. Why is that?"

"I was thinking the same thing, Princess Celestia," Twilight answered honestly and truthfully, "and to answer your question...well...I-I don't have an answer to that. I'm just as confused as you are about that. I mean, we are similar in molecular structures now, but there should be no reason why she is...well, is insane, and I'm perfectly fine. That doesn't add up to me, and apparently not to you either."

"Twilight," Celestia started, "you and I are a lot alike right now. Aside from the condition that you are in now, you are a tribe of one little pony. That is the fate and destiny of freaks and monsters like how Rarity, Robert, and, now, Princess Luna are. We are too much of one to ever be the other, and too much of other to be one. We are alone, trying to change the world for the better now."

"But, what about my friends?" asked Twilight. "What about the other Element holders and, more importantly, what about my Lunar?"

"There simply is not enough time for them to get here." Celestia alerted. "Any moment now, Equestria will be overrun by your kind – vamponies. If there is a time to fight back, it is now."

"But, you're not one of us," Twilight said, "if you fight, you'll surely get hurt."

"What has to be done, must be done." Celestia responded. "If I don't make it through this, I-"

"Don't you say that, Celestia!" interrupted Twilight.

Princess Celestia gently placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, continuing on with her statement. "If I don't make it through this, I want you to be the one who replaces me."

"But...but..."

"You'll be fine," Celestia assured Twilight, "don't you worry, my little pony, heaven has a plan for you."

"But..."

"Don't worry about me," Celestia said, "I have done plenty of good during my time here. I know that I will be remembered by my subjects, if I were to leave or not make it through this alive."

"But..."

"Twilight," Celestia paused, "from one alicorn to another, you will be fine and do things exceeding beyond expectations that anypony may have for you. You were my best student and one of my favorites. I've watched you blossom into this from just a young unicorn filly all those years ago, and I know that, using what I've taught you throughout your years of study, you will be a spectacular ruler."

"But..."

"Twilight," Celestia continued, placing both of her front hooves on both of Twilight's shoulders, "you will be fine, and I'll do my best to do the same. Don't you worry about a thing, Twilight."

"...it's been an honor to have been your student." Twilight replied.

"And it has been an honor being your mentor," Princess Celestia smiled, moving out of the room, "now we must go."

"Of course, Princess." Twilight said, following Princess Celestia out of the room.

* * *

"Now this is most certainly a surprise! Princess Celestia _and_ Princess Twilight back here for more!?"

"Rarity," Twilight called, "I'll give you one last chance to peacefully and gracefully stand down!"

"And lose all of this!?" Rarity questioned. "You must be losing your mind!"

"Is that how you feel?" Twilight questioned her. "Well, then you leave us with no choice..."

"I've had enough of this," Rarity said, motioning her hoof in the air in a scoff type motion, "deal with them would you, Nightmare Moon. I have to tend to my new kingdom. You're in charge of destroying these two annoying ponies."

"You do not give me orders!" snapped Nightmare Moon. "However, I will destroy these two foals!"

"Excellent," Rarity replied, "I shall return in a bit. I hope that when I return, these two will be eliminated."

"They'll be more than eliminated!" Nightmare Moon roared.

"Excellent." Rarity finished, using her demonic magic to teleport herself away from the throne room.

Nightmare Moon evilly smiled at Princess Celestia and Twilight. Celestia had begun to slowly approach her corrupted sister, though Twilight managed to stop her, thanks to my increased strength.

"Twilight," Celestia said, giving her a heavy glance.

"She's just like me, Princess," responded Twilight, "a vampony. I know she's your sister, but that won't stop her from attempting to sink her teeth into your skin."

"You're right." agreed Celestia.

"Enough talk!" roared Nightmare Moon.

"Luna..." Celestia quietly said, but loud enough for Nightmare Moon to hear it.

"Do not call us that name again!" Nightmare Moon shouted. "We are Nightmare Moon!"

Nightmare Moon had lost her temper after that and ran straight towards Princess Celestia. Twilight had managed to jump in front of her and hold Nightmare Moon down, stopping her from getting any closer towards her sister. Heck, Princess Luna may be corrupted, but her and Princess Celestia are still sisters, and regal ones for that matter. Twilight's super strength was matched by Nightmare Moon's strength, but since she was taller than Twilight was, her downward force was beginning to overpower Twilight's upward force. Honestly, and Twilight knew about this before hand, pushing something up is a lot tougher than pushing something down, and this desperately proved that case to be true. Nightmare Moon was overpowering Twilight and there was very little she could do in her defense.

Suddenly, Princess Celestia charged at her sister from the side and slammed Nightmare Moon down into the ground. Nightmare Moon had shot a look back at Celestia, then charged back at her, slamming Celestia into a spire and causing it to break off and collapse on the ground next to them. Not only that, but a chunk of the ceiling collapsed and came crashing down, revealing the outside world to us all and shining some dim light into the throne room.

Twilight looked up and out of the hole in the ceiling and saw a modestly red sky, something that she thought was scientifically impossible, considering that the current time was only about one o'clock in the afternoon and that the sun wasn't supposed to set for another five-and-a-half hours.

Looking back down, Twilight saw that Nightmare Moon was attempting to infect Princess Celestia by biting her neck, so she jumped in and took the bite for Celestia. Twilight felt nothing, which wasn't a huge shocker to her since she already was infected. Princess Celestia thanked Twilight for the protection, then the two princesses backed away from Nightmare Moon, who appeared to be growing more tired as the time went by.

"Give...it up...you two." Nightmare Moon panted. "You...don't...stand a chance...against...me..."

"Not a chance, Luna!" Twilight replied.

"She isn't getting weaker," Celestia noted.

"We vamponies need to do a lot of things for us to get tired now." Twilight told Princess Celestia. "But how do we bring Luna back without the Elements of Harmony and how do we get rid of her condition."

"Desperate times calls for desperate measures." Celestia answered, confusing Twilight slightly. "It sounds like a lost cause, but we need to use the Elements on her before she damages herself further."

"But...I don't-"

Princess Celestia then casted a spell, summoning the Elements of Harmony before her and Twilight. Nightmare Moon was still collecting some air, so the two princesses took this short period of time to gather themselves, attaching the Elements to them. Twilight grabbed her original Element of Magic, leaving the other five for Princess Celestia to utilize. The two princesses then began charging up the Elements, but only four out of the six were functioning correctly.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked. "Why aren't they working?"

"It isn't balanced properly!" Princess Celestia alerted her.

Nightmare Moon began groaning and started to reach her standards once more. She was nearing her full health, which meant that time was running out for the princesses to use the Elements of Harmony on her.

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"I have five Elements, whereas you have one." Celestia answered. "We have to balance it out, three and three each."

"But I can only control one Element!" Twilight retorted.

"You can do this, Twilight," Celestia assured her, "I know you can. You're the only pony who can do this right now. It's up to you and I to end this together."

Twilight nodded, then took the last two malfunctioning Elements from Princess Celestia - Loyalty and Kindness - and attached them to her neck. The two princesses then began charging up the Elements once more, which was perfect timing, seeing how Nightmare Moon had collected herself and started running over towards them, horn out in front of her. With Twilight out in front, Nightmare Moon was sure to hit her first.

"Just a little more!" Princess Celestia shouted.

"Oh, no you don't!" screamed Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon jumped out at the two ponies at the last second, trying desperately to infect her sister before the Elements of Harmony attacked her and attempted to revert her back to her old self again. Twilight had shut her eyes and allowed her hearing to take over from there, dramatically hoping for the best to happen.

"Now!" Princess Celestia shouted.

"No you don't!" Nightmare Moon screamed once more.

Twilight opened my eyes and saw Nightmare Moon in the air, trying to attack her sister, while the spiraling rainbow shot out from Princess Celestia and herself and began to shoot downwards. Nightmare Moon had passed Twilight in the air and was simply inches away from her sister now however, the rainbow smashed down on Nightmare Moon, wrapping itself around all three of the ponies at the very last second, mainly working on Nightmare Moon herself.

"Noooo!" Nightmare Moon yelled, trying to escape from her stationary status.

Twilight felt befuddled, not knowing that the Elements of Harmony could make someone stationary while they were being converted into something or someone else.

_This little bit of information could prove to be a vital thing in the future if we need to wield them once more._ She though to herself.

The rainbow circling around Nightmare Moon had vanished and before Princess Celestia and Twilight once more stood Princess Luna. When the rainbow ceased, Princess Luna continued Nightmare Moon's trajectory path, slicing Princess Celestia with her horn a bit, causing her to bleed.

"Luna!" Princess Celestia panted.

"My s-sister..." Luna meekly replied. "I-I..."

"No...not you too, Celestia..." Twilight said.

Princess Celestia, though she wasn't directly bitten, was slowly becoming infected and turning into a vampony herself.

_This situation is getting way too out of hoof, _panicked Twilight, _we need to do something about this now! But...what do we do? How do you revert all vamponies back to normal?_

"I'll be fine, you two." lied Princess Celestia.

Both Princess Luna and Twilight left it at that, wanting to defuse the current situation before anything and everything got a whole lot worse. Princess Celestia tried to keep calm and carry on, but appeared to be slowed down thanks to her slow transformation. Twilight tended to her, but she kept insisting that she was going to be fine. Not wanting to spark an argument, she eventually dropped the subject and started to devise a plan on how to revert all vamponies back to normal. The only problem was that nobody had any idea as to what to do or how to go about such a plan or even how it would work.

"How do we get everypony back to normal?" Twilight questioned.

Silence – tense, tense silence – had trickled down into the room. Nobody knew the answer to that.

"If reverting ponies back to normal is what you seek," a sinister voice started, "perhaps I could be of assistance to the meek."

"Who's there?" Luna questioned.

The three princesses all looked around the room in a frantic type of motion, from high above, to down below. They looked all around, but it simply was too dark in this room.

"Show yourself!" demanded Twilight.

"Come now, Twilight Sparkle," the voice continued, "that's no way to have fun."

"Show yourself!" Luna demanded, backing Twilight up a bit.

"You too, Princess Luna?" They continued. "It's no wonder she infected the two of you..."

"H-How do you know that!?" Twilight said, startled by the information this pony knew - if they were a pony, that is.

"Relax, Twilight Sparkle." They stated. "You aren't the only one."

"I know that!" Twilight snapped, wondering who it was telling these seemingly obvious facts.

"So ease up then!" They replied, stepping forward from the dark shade and revealing themselves.

"Trixie?" I noticed. "Is that you?"

"Most certainly, Twilight." She answered in reply.

Twilight was surprised, shocked, and even bamboozled beyond words themselves and couldn't help contain herself while asking her if she had become a vampony as well.

"Well," she started, "not exactly. You see, Trixie is far too strong to fall to the likes of them."

Twilight rolled her eyes, scoffing and choosing not to believe Trixie's reply. Instead, she paid more attention to why she was here in the first place.

"What are you doing here, Trixie?" Twilight asked her.

"Trixie has actually come to apologize for all of her past actions," Trixie answered, "Trixie wasn't the best nor handled certain situations the best, so she wanted to apologize to you, Twilight Sparkle."

"Then how did you know that I was here?" Twilight questioned.

"Your friends from Ponyville told Trixie that you might be here," she responded, "so she came to Canterlot and to the castle to see if the two princesses knew where you were. It's just by sheer coincidence Trixie ran into you here, Twilight."

"You were in Ponyville?" Twilight reiterated, hopes being raised a little.

"Trixie was in Ponyville," she confirmed.

"Did you happen to see a dark colored alicorn there with my friends, Trixie?" Twilight hoped.

"We did," answered Trixie.

"How was he doing?" Twilight continued.

"He seemed to be in decent condition," Trixie stated, "why do you ask, Twilight Sparkle?"

"No reason," Twilight lied, relieved that her friends and Lunar were doing just fine. She immediately asked Trixie if she knew something about vamponies that she didn't know herself.

"What do you wish to know, Twilight Sparkle?" Trixie replied. "Trixie has studied heavily about vamponies."

"Do you know of a way to get rid of them all and stop this epidemic?" Twilight asked.

"Trixie knows of a way to end this all." She responded. "Trixie has seen this type of thing happen already."

"You have?" Twilight questioned, wondering if she was just making up another story again.

"Most certainly, Twilight." She answered.

"So what do we do?"

"Trixie will tell you," she told her, "but you may not like the answer that you seek."

"And why do you think that?" Twilight said, unsure of what Trixie meant.

"In order to return everything to what it once was," Trixie began, completely ignoring Twilight's question, "you have to get rid of the head vampony. Once that happens, everypony will transform back into what they all once were."

"When you say 'get rid of,' what do you mean?" asked Princess Luna.

"Get rid of the head vampony," repeated Trixie, "you know, finish them, end them, eliminate them, do whatever it takes to get them out of the picture."

"You mean...__kill __her?" Twilight asked.

"Trixie didn't want to say that since she knows that the head is one of your friends, Twilight," Trixie replied, "but that is exactly what Trixie means. Kill the head vampony and everypony goes back to normal."

Twilight shook her head slowly, looking down in the process. "I...I simply cannot do that..."

Trixie and Princess Luna glanced heavily back at Twilight, as did Princess Celestia, who was still undergoing the transformation process.

Twilight sighed heavily, explaining herself slightly. "She may be a monster, but she is my friend, and I simply cannot kill another friend, let alone, another pony. It is not my nature to do that, so leave me out of this, please..."

"Twilight," Luna started, "you have to be the one to do this. Think about Equestria, think about yourself. You are a strong pony, stronger than I. I can't fully understand how you feel right now, but you have to put aside those feelings and do this for you, for me, for Trixie, for Celestia, for Equestria."

"I can't, Princess Luna," Twilight revolted, "I just can't put myself through that situation. It's bad enough that she did this to me, but I can't end her life because of that. It just doesn't seem fair."

"Listen to me, Twilight," Luna said seriously, turning Twilight and placing both of her front hooves on Twilight's shoulders, "you can do this because you are a strong pony. You are the strongest and bravest pony I know and I know that you are the only one who can stand up to her and beat her."

"You can...do it, Twilight," Princess Celestia grunted, fighting off the transformation, "do it...for Equestria."

Twilight looked down and frowned heavily while the two regal sisters and Trixie tried convincing her that she could do it, but she just couldn't bring it to herself to kill one of her friends, even if she was evil now. She sighed one more time, then glanced at Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Trixie.

"You have to be the one to do this, Twilight," Luna explained to Twilight, "you are the only pony strong enough to defeat and bring Rarity down."

"Trixie has to agree with that, though she doesn't like to admit it." Trixie added.

"I...I..." Twilight was starting to find that speaking clearly was becoming more of job than an instinct now. She was feeling way too many things right now, refraining her from speaking correctly.

Princess Celestia's transformation was complete, and she got up and approached Twilight slowly. Bending down slightly, Princess Celestia placed her right front hoof on Twilight's shoulder, then proceeded to look her dead in the eye.

"You can do this, Twilight," she boldly told Twilight.

"But..."

"Listen to me," Princess Celestia continued, "I understand that this will be a tough decision and act for you to perform, I know that. But this is something different, trust me. You aren't dealing with a friend here."

"She's right, Twilight," added Luna, "you're dealing with a demon that had taken over Rarity and claimed her as their own."

"Right," Princess Celestia said, "and I can assure you that, by performing this difficult task, you will be a heroine within Equestria and I promise, your actions won't be forgotten."

"They need you to do this, Twilight." Trixie added.

"We need you to do this, Twilight." Luna exclaimed.

Twilight looked around at the three ponies that stood before her. They were pushing for her to kill one of her friends, something she found shocking and something she herself was deeming inhumane for her. It wasn't in Twilight's nature to kill or harm anypony, friend or foe alike. She cannot perform those actions, especially to her friend, evil or not. Twilight sighed heavily, then told everyone something they were certain to not like.

"I'm sorry, everypony," Twilight regretfully stated, "but I can't do that. It's not like me to do something like that, whether it'd be Rarity or even somepony as sinister and evil as Discord. I can't perform that action and cannot save Equestria like that."

__CRASH!__

"What was that!?" shrieked Twilight.

__BOOM!__

"What's going on outside!?" Trixie added.

Princess Celestia listened further. "Sounds like..."

__CRASH!__

The four ponies crowded around one of the windows that didn't have a pane on it. They all looked outside and saw a horrible, horrible sight before them all.

"This can't be happening..." Twilight quietly said.

"It is..." Trixie assured ruefully.

"It's the end of the world as we know it..." Princess Celestia whispered.

"Rarity has attacked and taken over the majority of Equestria." Luna stated.

"Twilight," Princess Celestia continued, "now do you see why we all need you?"

"I do," answered Twilight, "but I still can't force myself to perform an act such as that."

"Trixie knew you well, Twilight." Trixie told her.

That got Twilight to think deeply. Equestria needed her heavily, but she was abandoning it and choosing one pony over millions of others. She was choosing one friend over every other friend that she has made throughout her life. Twilight decided that this was the time to put everything that made her who she was behind her and help out Equestria in its time of need.

"So what do we do?" Twilight boldly asked Princess Celestia.

"Find Rarity and bring her down, like this pony here told us." Princess Celestia reminded her.

"I'll do my best." answered Twilight, using her magic to teleport herself out into the middle of what was going on outside.

Outside was a lot warmer than it usually was. It was definitely more humid than it usually was, and all around Twilight stood dead bodies on the floor. That almost made her throw up, but Twilight forced everything to stay down and looked straight ahead of her. Up ahead, she saw a white unicorn mare walking around, bending down to each of the bodies that lay around both Twilight and them. This unicorn was doing that to each of the bodies around themselves and kept getting closer to Twilight.

"Rarity!" Twilight shouted.

The unicorn shot a look up at Twilight and approached her even further. Twilight saw a smile on their face and she stopped about thirty yards away.

"Twilight Sparkle," she demonically spoke, "I would never have thought that you would show around here. Really, I thought that Nightmare Moon would have dealt with you, but, alas, I was wrong."

"You were, Rarity!" Twilight shouted.

"You need to ease up, Twilight." Rarity exclaimed. "You'll work yourself to pieces."

"Stop it." snapped Twilight. "You're reign of terror ends here."

"Do I sense a challenge?" Rarity scoffed. "Do you really think that you can defeat me?"

"I don't think so, Rarity," Twilight told her, "I know so."

"Fine," Rarity sighed, "but I knew you well, Twilight."

Twilight huffed, beginning to charge towards Rarity. She put the past behind her and only focused on one thing and one thing only, and that was ending Rarity right here and now!

Twilight ran straight towards Rarity, who moved out of the way at the last second. Rarity then answered Twilight by sending over a beam of magic as a counterstrike, seemingly missing Twilight on purpose.

"I don't want to hurt you, dear," she told Twilight, though failing to switch out of her demonic voice.

"Funny," Twilight replied, "because I want to hurt you!"

Twilight sent over a fairly large beam of magic in response to Rarity's over towards her and managed to strike her. She took the beam and was pushed backwards, though managed to take it and hang in there somehow. Deep down, Twilight knew they both could take more hits than a regular pony, but this was something else.

"Is that the best you can do?" Rarity laughed. "How pathetic...here, take this!"

Rarity shot a more powerful beam of magic at Twilight, which managed to strike her and ground her. It was weird, though, seeing how that hurt Twilight and now she was having a hard time enduring that painful hit.

_Is Rarity's magic more powerful than mine now? _Twilight thought.

"How did real power feel like?" Rarity asked her.

Twilight finally managed to get back up, stumbling a few times, but finally managing to stand on her own hooves. Rarity evilly smirked, then sighed once more.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?" questioned Rarity.

Twilight couldn't find the strength to respond to that. Rather, she glared at Rarity, trying to find some strength to blast her once again with some magic. Rarity laughed in response, then told Twilight that it was time to end this now. She blasted Twilight with another powerful beam of magic and forced her to fall down and stay down.

"Hmm," Rarity grunted, "I expected a better fight from a Princess, you know."

Twilight heard Rarity's hooves clack against the cold stone ground, getting louder with each passing second. Before long, she saw her shadow tower over her body and stop right next to her.

"It's a terrible shame that it had to end this way as well, Twilight," Rarity snickered, "but, you've gotten in my way one too many times!"

Twilight turned over, seeing that Rarity was preparing to drive her horn into her body. Rarity was wrapping her horn with her magic, so Twilight took this opportunity to drive her own horn through Rarity's heart. She jabbed and jerked her head upward and drove it straight through Rarity's messed up heart. Managing to get a glimpse of Rarity's face, Twilight slowly started to remove her horn from Rarity's heart.

"T-T-Twi...l-l-light..." Rarity coughed, struggling to breath.

"It had to be like this, Rarity." Twilight told her.

Rarity coughed some more, finally coughing up some blood and collapsing slightly on top of Twilight.

"B-B-But...why?" Rarity whispered.

"You had to be stopped, and this was the only way how." Twilight heeded.

Rarity let out one final sigh, and fully collapsed on top of Twilight, who began to cry a bit after having the thought of killing one of her friends finally set and sink itself in to Twilight. She placed Rarity on the ground next to her, sobbing over the loss of her dead friend.

_This is no way for a pony to go, even if they are as evil as she was. _Twilight thought, crying internally now. _This is something I'll always regret doing, but was forced to do for the sake of Equestria._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Upon the defeat and end to the evil vampony queen Rarity, Twilight Sparkle began to walk slowly back to what was left of the Canterlot castle. She felt pretty sure it was the Canterlot Castle, seeing how Canterlot was the town that was nearly destroyed thanks to Rarity's shenanigans. Tears had begun to fill Twilight's eyes, tears of regret and sorrow. She didn't want to do what she did, but she was forced to do it.

"Oh, Rarity," Twilight ruefully said, "you will forever be missed."

Twilight rapidly approached the castle. Looking up at the crumbling castle, Twilight slowly made her way inside and up the main staircase. It was a long way to top, but it gave Twilight time to push all the events that just happened to the back of her mind. Unfortunately, however, once she reached the top of the castle and entered the throne room, those thoughts and actions came rushing back into the front of her head. She felt tears begin to form and attempt to escape, but desperately fought against them from doing so. Twilight saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna returned back to normal alicorn ponies, however she was still the same.

"Twilight!" Princesses Celestia and Luna shouted, rushing over to embrace Twilight in a hug.

"Yo-you're both fine..." Twilight meekly said.

"Thanks to your heroic actions, we are." Princess Luna answered.

"But, you're still the same." Princess Celestia noted.

"Why is that...?" wondered Twilight.

Suddenly, Twilight saw Trixie reveal herself from one of the shadows of the throne room.

"When one gets rid of the head vampony," she started, "the pony who defeated the head vampony then becomes the head vampony."

"You mean..." stammered Twilight. She then fell silent when she realized the inevitable. "I'm going to be like this forever...?"

"Trixie is afraid so..." Trixie answered.

Twilight then collapsed on the ground and covered her head with her hooves. She started crying uncontrollably as she found out that she was stuck like this until either somepony else kills her, or not and be stuck like this forever.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna comforted Twilight as best as they could, knowing that this must be devastating news that just pierced Twilight's heart. The three ponies heard Trixie walk out of the throne room, leaving just Twilight crying a sea of tears alongside Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"Everything will be alright, Twilight," Princess Celestia told Twilight.

"You have nothing to worry about." added Princess Luna.

* * *

A few months have passed since the incidents that happened in Canterlot between the former vampony queen Rarity and the new vampony queen Twilight. Canterlot has been fully repaired and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have retaken over as the rulers of Equestria. They have rebuilt their crumbling castle, using Princess Cadance's castle as a temporary interim castle while theirs was being rebuilt.

Twilight, with help from Prince Lunar Nights, has learned how to take control over her new self and has sworn to never show it to anypony ever again. Twilight didn't want this mess to happen yet again, but they always say that history tends to repeat itself.

Today was the day for Rarity's funeral. The funeral was being held in Canterlot, inside the new ballroom that was built. The ceremony was simply heart touching and plenty of tears were shed between Twilight, Lunar, their friends, and Rarity's family, especially Sweetie Belle, whom Applejack has taken into her home to take care of her in Ponyville.

Twilight approached a pedestal at the front end of the hall in the room and faced the fairly large crowd of sympathetic ponies. She felt tears begin forming in her eyes and Lunar quickly joined Twilight to comfort her and help her through her upcoming speech.

"Today," began Twilight, "we remember Rarity, not as a monster who briefly took over Equestria, but as a friend and, more importantly, the Element of Generosity. It is heartbreaking to see Rarity get placed inside a coffin and, ultimately, get lowered into the ground outside, but I look at this as a sign of what would have become of Equestria had nothing been done. I still feel guilty and want nothing more than one of my closest friends - my dearest friend - to come back to us. Rarity will truly be missed as Equestria's finest fashion designer and one of the Element holders. Rarity, we will miss you and wish you well in your afterlife."

After the funeral had ended, Twilight needed some time to think for herself. She took a walk through the newly developed Canterlot Sculpture Garden and stared blankly at each new statue. The final statue that was inside the Sculpture Garden was one of Twilight and her friends, minus Prince Lunar Nights. Twilight was in the middle, with Rainbow Dash on her right side, and Rarity on her left. In the sculpture, all the ponies were smiling and laughing. Twilight felt tears fall from her eyes the longer she stared at Rarity. She shouldn't have done what she did to Rarity; she didn't deserve it. It would've been better to at least talk to Rarity and try to reason and come to terms with her, but she couldn't; Twilight was forced to kill Rarity.

Even worse, the longer she stared at Rarity's portion of the statue, the more Twilight began to think about her little sister, Sweetie Belle.

_How is she going to grow up, knowing that she no longer has an older sister anymore? _Twilight thought to herself. _I can think of nopony else but me to decide that what was performed was the wrong choice to do...I will never be the same again. We will never be the same. There exists a void in all of our friendships that nopony could fill but Rarity and it will forever be left there...and Spike...he won't look the same ever again, knowing that the pony he loved is gone forever. Robert? He won't speak to me at all...I'm a horrible friend..._

Through her tears, Twilight began to feel a presence behind her. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and turned around, noticing that all of her friends had come and followed her to the garden. They all had tears filling their eyes as well – Prince Lunar included – and embraced Twilight in a hug in front of Rarity on the statue.

"She will be missed a whole lot, Twilight," Applejack spoke softly.

"I know she will," answered Twilight, looking up at Rarity, "she will be an irreplaceable friend..."

The group then disbanded from each other and stared at Rarity for a little while longer before they began to head on out back to Ponyville for home.

__I'm sorry, Rarity,___ Twilight_ told herself, __I'm sorry I had to do that...__

The group of remaining friends embraced each other for a little while longer before placing a violet in front of the statue in commemoration of Rarity. Once the time had come, they all began to leave and head for home – Ponyville.

They had arrived back home by the edge of night. Twilight's friends had all taken the train home, but she wanted to fly home with Lunar in order to be alone with him and her thoughts. They needed to be alone, both of them, although Twilight needed the alone time more than Lunar did. The two of them were leaders of their own kingdom in Equestria, but one of those leaders was forced to remove one of their subjects by force, an act of vigilante that was inhumane, wrong, and somewhat uncalled for.

Looking over to her distressed marefriend, the Prince of the Night found courage to break the silence as the flight continued onward.

"It's going to be okay, my Princess," he said as Ponyville neared.

Twilight replied with utter silence. She did not want to talk about it and, despite Lunar's attempts to help comfort her, she had a torn heart and torn soul inside of her.

The two alicorns flew onto the balcony just outside of their room and slowly went inside. Twilight locked the door to the balcony behind her and Lunar, shuffling the curtains over it before going over to shut the door to the room from downstairs, locking that door in the process as well. After those tasks were completed, Twilight fell onto the bed and stared out a small gap in the covered-up window. She saw the stars twinkling in the sky above and noticed some constellations. Every single star in the sky, however, reminded Twilight of Rarity, which brought tears to her eyes. Lunar noticed and comforted her in the bed as best as he could, but nothing worked.

Eventually, Twilight smothered her head into her pillow and tried stopping the tears from falling out of her eyes herself. It was a lot harder than it looked like but once she managed to stop her tears and dry her eyes, wiping them clean of any and all tears, she slowly looked up and back out of the window, up towards the sky once more. In the sky, Twilight and Lunar saw a shooting star. Twilight's eyes grew wide as she watched it tear through the sky for the brief period of time it was visible. Lunar could sense this, despite not being able to physically see Twilight's face in his current placement.

"You okay, Twily?" He asked her.

"I'm fine, Luny," replied Twilight.

"The falling star catch your eye?"

"When I was a younger filly," Twilight contently sighed, "my parents always told my older brother and I that if we saw a shooting star, we should make a wish and wish upon the star." Upon completion, Twilight shut her eyes real tight and began to think deep down for a really meaningful wish.

She sighed a bit, then started saying her wish out loud. "I wish...I wish that Rarity was alive once more. I wish that Rarity was here with us once more."

The shooting star vanished, then made a twinkle in the sky. The two alicorns watched the night sky a little while longer, then decided to call it a night. Lunar advised that Twilight sleep and needed to sleep away her problems, and this needed to happen fast. After all, sometimes sleep is the one thing needed most during a time when it is least expected. Trust me, I know.

* * *

"Twilight, darling!"

"Rarity!"

Twilight couldn't believe her eyes! Rarity was alive and well in front of her!

"Twilight!" Rarity shouted, running over and embracing Twilight in a hug.

"Rarity," cried Twilight, "it's so good to see you!"

"Same to you, darling." Rarity answered.

"You simply must tell me everything that you've gone through the last few weeks or so." she said.

"Sure thing, Twilight," Rarity cheerfully replied, "I just have one little, itty, bitty request to ask of you."

"Sure, Rarity," smiled Twilight, "what do you need?"

"I need..." paused Rarity, "to...extract my revenge on you!"

"Wh-what?" Twilight gasped. "Oof!"

Rarity tossed Twilight over, harshly landing on her back onto the cold, unforgivable ground. Twilight tried her best defending herself, but was too shocked and baffled by the sudden attack from Rarity to do anything.

_Rarity had been given a second chance at life, but hasn't changed a bit! _Twilight thought._ She's still acting the same exact way she did before I...did...what I did to her! Has she learned absolutely nothing!?_

"Time for payback!" Rarity yelled.

She jumped onto Twilight's collapsed body and wrapped her head around Twilight's neck. Rarity then proceeded to bite Twilight's neck and suck out her blood again.

* * *

"Gah!"

"Huh? Wh-wha?"

"Twily?"

"Gah!"

"Wha-what's wrong, Twilight!" Spike asked Twilight.

"Oh, Spike, Lunar," Twilight panicked, "I just had a terrible nightmare..."

"What happened?" Spike quietly asked. Twilight wasn't too sure if he was being sarcastic or if he was really worried, so she did actually tell him what happened.

"Well Spike," Twilight started as Lunar started giving her a calming massage, "last night, Lunar and I saw a shooting star up in the sky and wished for Rarity to come back to us. I guess I dozed off and fell asleep but, I dreamt that Rarity did come back, but she was still acting the same way. She pinned me down onto the ground, then began sucking out my blood...that's when I woke up..."

"Sounds...odd, Twilight," Lunar told Twilight, "but you are safe now."

"You sure?" quivered Twilight. Deep down, she knew she was, but she just wanted to hear Lunar's response.

"Sure I am," he replied, "you're in the real world now, and nothing can harm you like that now. You're the head vampony now, so it would be impossible for that to happen again...unless you infect somepony else, but that's a different story."

"Thanks, Lunar," Twilight softly said, "I needed that."

"No problem, Twilight," Lunar continued.

"It's what friends do for each other," added Spike.

Twilight brought Spike closer to her body with her hoof and snuggled the top of her head to the top of his. Both Twilight and Spike understood each other fully and knew exactly when the other was feeling sad, depressed, frightened, or scared. They always knew what to say to each other – as did Lunar – when the other was feeling down and sad, always cheering each other up.

Twilight loved the time she spent together with Lunar and Spike and could say that, without a doubt, her longest friend is her greatest friend and her longest coltfriend was her soulmate. Spike and Lunar were like family to Twilight and, if anything were to ever happen to Spike or Lunar or, even worse, both of them, she wouldn't know what to do.

Anyways, getting back on track here, the three close friends hugged for a little while longer. Soon, they all separated from each other, and Twilight gracefully stepped down from the bed, down the stairs, and, finally, outside to take in some of this crisp, cool late autumn air. Winter was rapidly approaching and so was Hearth's Warming, Twilight's favorite time of the year.

A moment or two had passed before Spike came rushing outside in a hurry. He bumped into Twilight hard, causing her to give him a bold glare, the one ponies give other ponies that are in a rush and make no attempt to sidestep you and hit you. Spike shook his head and snapped out of the trance he was in and began holding up a scroll in front of Twilight's face.

"What is that, Spike?" Twilight wondered.

"It's a letter from Princess Celestia!" Spike exclaimed.

"What does it say?" she asked.

"She wants you and your friends to report to Canterlot immediately!" Spike alerted. "She says something incredible has occurred!"

"Does it say what has happened?" Twilight eagerly responded.

"No," the baby dragon answered, "it just says to report to Canterlot with your friends."

"Then we'll do just that." Twilight said.

"We?" Spike questioned.

"Yes," continued Twilight, "you're one of my friends too, Spike. If Princess Celestia wants me to report to Canterlot with my friends, then why shouldn't you come?"

"Aww, thanks, Twilight." Spike replied, blushing a bit pink for a quick second.

Twilight smiled at him then went back to tell Lunar the news. Lunar nodded, then took off towards Canterlot ahead of Twilight, who ran out into town to go collect her friends. First up was Pinkie Pie and, instead of running into her at the Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight ran into her on her morning walk.

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight happily obliged.

"Hiya, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shouted, running over to greet Twilight.

"Pinkie," Twilight started explaining, "Princess Celestia is requesting that she see us in Canterlot immediately."

"What for?" She asked.

"I don't know," continued Twilight, "but she wants us all to go there. She said that something incredible has happened!"

"Like what?" She asked again.

"I don't know," answered Twilight, "but I need you to go round up Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I'll go get Applejack and meet you at the train station in about fifteen minutes. Okay?"

"Okie dokie, lokie!" Pinkie cheerfully told me, bouncing off to go fetch Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"Come on, Spike." Twilight called, levitating Spike onto her back. "We need to go get Applejack."

"Right behind ya, Twilight." Spike answered.

With that, Twilight ran off down the road towards Applejack's farm, Sweet Apple Acres, while Spike held on tightly to her. It was early in the morning, but not early enough for Equestria's greatest and hardest working farm girl. She always worked from the crack of dawn, to the brink of sunset, though always managing to find and spend some time together with her dearest friends and family.

"What do you think Princess Celestia wants with us?" Spike asked Twilight as the two started to approach Sweet Apple Acres.

"I wish I knew, Spike," the petite, lavender colored princess answered, "but it sounded very, very important."

"You could say that again." Spike chimed.

Twilight smiled at Spike and noticed that they had arrived at the front entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Out in front of the barn was Applejack, along with her little sister Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom was the first to notice Twilight and quickly greeted her as well as Spike.

"Hey, Twilight!" She shouted.

"Hello, Apple Bloom." replied Twilight.

Applejack heard Twilight and quickly turned around to greet her as well.

"Mornin', Twi," Applejack added. "Heya, Spike."

"Good morning, Applejack." Twilight said.

"Hello." Spike smiled.

Sweetie Belle, giving a very soft and dissatisfied sigh, looked up to both Twilight and Spike and also greeted them, though not as cheerfully as Applejack and Apple Bloom had.

"Oh, hey, Twilight," she heeded, depression heavily sounding in her voice.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle," responded Twilight, "how have you been holding up recently?"

"It's...it's been rough, Twilight," Sweetie Belle spoke, "but, I know that Rarity is looking down on me, telling me that she'll always remain a part of me forever."

"That's an excellent way of looking at this, Sweetie Belle," Twilight smiled, lifting Sweetie Belle's head with her hoof, "I'm sure Rarity would agree with me as well."

"So, not to be soundin' a bit rude here," Applejack cut it, "but why are ya here anyways?"

"Oh," Twilight said, completely forgetting to tell Applejack the news, "Princess Celestia requested that she see us in Canterlot right away."

"Canterlot, huh?" Applejack replied. "Well, Ah'd love ta go, but Ah'd have ta bring Apple Bloom an' Sweetie Belle wit' me. Granny Smith an' Big Macintosh are both over visitin' cousin Braeburn in order to get some important supplies for harvest season."

"No problem," Twilight said, "Princess Celestia did say to bring along my friends with me."

"Perfect." Applejack happily spoke.

"Come along, now," continued Twilight, "I want to get to Canterlot as soon as possible."

"Sure thing, Twilight," Applejack replied.

"Awesome," Apple Bloom cheered, "we get ta go to Can'erlot!"

"Why does Princess Celestia want to see us?" Sweetie Belle asked glumly.

"She says that something spectacular has happened and wants us to be there to see it, Sweetie Belle," answered Twilight.

Sweetie Belle looked curiously at Twilight, obviously wanting to know more. Unfortunately for her, Twilight told her all that she knew. Presently, the group of ponies (and dragon) all left Sweet Apple Acres and began heading for Ponyville Train Station in order to catch a train to Canterlot. The journey wasn't long for the group was rushing in order to catch the next train, which left in five minutes at the time.

Upon arriving at the train station, Pinkie Pie was already there, waiting for Applejack, Twilight, Spike, as well as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Waiting there alongside Pinkie Pie was Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. The two pegasi had begun questioning why they were all being summoned into Canterlot the second Twilight stepped hoof on to the platform.

"Princess Celestia said that something spectacular has occurred and that our presences are all required." Twilight reiterated.

"Something spectacular?" Rainbow Dash repeated.

"Yes."

"Like what?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," replied Twilight, "but I want to find out just as much as you do."

Quickly thereafter, the train had begun to approach the station. The ponies eagerly awaited for the train to come to a stop.

"Next train to Canterlot!" shouted the conductor as the train began to let off steam.

"Come on," Twilight told everypony, "let's go see what has happened."

The large group of friends all boarded into the train after it had come to a complete stop and the doors opened up. They entered into the last car before the caboose and sat towards the rear of the car, taking the final three rows in the car. Once the doors to the train had shut, the journey to Canterlot had begun, seeing how the train began moving. Throughout the train ride to Canterlot, nopony spoke a single word, which was strange, believe it or not. Well...it was strange to Twilight.

* * *

The train had entered into the Canterlot train station fairly quickly, eventually coming to a stop and allowing the passengers on board to exit. Twilight, along with her friends, exited the train and then proceeded towards the Canterlot Castle. The glimmering, busy streets of Canterlot were shining and full of a lot of very important looking ponies, mares and colts alike. Twilight received plenty of recognition from everypony in the streets, seeing how they saw a Princess before their very eyes.

Twilight, clouded with thoughts, hadn't seen the streets of Canterlot this busy in a long, long time.

_I think the last time they were this busy was when I was still a student back in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, _she thought to herself,_ prior to me even moving to Ponyville, prior to Nightmare Moon - Princess Luna - returning._

The Canterlot Castle was just up ahead, and once the group of friends entered said castle, they were kindly escorted into the main hallway by two of Princess Celestia's royal guards.

"Princess Celestia is thrilled to show you what has happened," one guard told me.

"Do you know what has happened, kind sir?" asked Twilight.

"You'll soon find out." He answered, turning his head and smiling back at the group in the process.

The walk to the throne room wasn't a long one. Eventually, about five minutes to be precise, Twilight and company found themselves in front of the large throne room doors. One of the guards turned to Twilight and smiled.

"Here we are, Your Highness."

"Thank you, kind sirs." answered Twilight as the two guards opened up the door to the throne room.

Inside the throne room stood Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Prince Lunar, Princess Cadance, and Twilight's brother, Shining Armor. Twilight wasn't expecting a large crowd, nor all of the royal ponies to be gathered inside the same room, and was beyond shocked, as were her friends.

"Twily!" Shining Armor shouted.

"Shining Armor!" Twilight replied, rushing over to hug him. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other!"

"Tell me about it, little sis," he answered.

"How have you been?" Twilght asked, wanting so desperately to catch up with him and his life inside the Crystal Empire.

"I've been well, Twilight," he answered, "but let's save this for later. Princess Celestia has a special surprise for you and all your friends."

"That's right, Shining Armor," Princess Celestia chimed, "are you ready, Twilight?"

"The anticipation is killing us all, Princess," Twilight chuckled.

Princess Celestia smiled, then turned her head around, calling out to something. "You can come on out now."

At that very moment, Twilight and the others had heard hooves clacking against the marble floor, getting louder with each passing second. A pony eventually revealed themselves from the shadows of the rear of the throne room. They had white colored hooves and an elegant, long purple tail. Twilight felt her heart stop as she saw the cutie mark of this pony. It was three light blue gems.

"Rarity!" The group cried simultaneously.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle sobbed happily, running over to tightly hug her sister.

"Sweetie Belle," Rarity smiled, "everypony!"

"But...how?" Twilight asked, much confusion sounding in her voice.

"It's a miracle that even I can't explain, Twilight." Princess Celestia responded.

"She appeared before us herself," added Princess Luna, "and there was absolutely no trace of damage anywhere on her body."

Lunar went to Twilight and rested one of his hooves on her. "How you feel right now is how I felt when I first arrived. It is an unexplainable act of gratitude."

"It's true, Twilight," Rarity continued, "I woke up inside a coffin and used my magic to teleport me out of it and onto the ground. I looked around and saw the castle and decided to come here and asked what had happened."

"She came here and we were just as shocked and surprised as you all are now." Princess Luna explained.

"We examined her and found nothing wrong with her." added Princess Celestia. "She seemed to be just a normal, generous unicorn, while letting her know just exactly what had happened to her and to Equestria during the time she was gone."

"Right," continued Rarity, "and after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took me in and cared for me for a brief period of time, I requested to see all of you."

"So I wrote the letter requesting you all to show up here," Princess Celestia said, "and I'm very glad you have brought Sweetie Belle along as well." She bent down and started conversing with Sweetie Belle. "She missed you dearly, Sweetie Belle, as I'm sure you did as well."

"This...this means the world to me," Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "thank you everypony..."

She hugged her older sister tightly once more, as did the rest of the group. They were all relatively positive and beaming now that they all saw Rarity once more.

"Twilight," Rarity called, "might I have a word with you privately for a brief moment?"

"Uh, well...sure, Rarity," obliged Twilight, unsure of what she wanted.

Rarity then led Twilight out of the throne room and into the main hallway. Upon exiting the throne room, Twilight dismissed the two royal guards that were around the doorway for the next five minutes.

"Are you sure, Princess Twilight?" One of them asked.

"Absolutely," Twilight replied, "you two are relieved of your duties for the next five minutes."

"If you need anything, Your Highness," he continued, "just call us."

"Thank you, sirs." Twilight told them as they left the area.

Rarity smiled at the petite princess and then embraced her once more in a hug before beginning what she wanted to tell her.

"Thank you..." She started, slowly sobbing a bit.

"For what?" questioned Twilight, unaware of what she was being thanked for.

"You took out the monster that was taking over my body." continued Rarity. "I'm very grateful for that, Twilight. I know that it was tough for you to...do what you did, but you did it for my protection and for the protection of everypony here in Equestria. I...I thank you eternally with my gratitude and apologize for your...burden." She embraced Twilight once more in a hug as tears began filling their eyes.

"You're very welcome, Rarity," Twilight said through her tears, "but I should be the one thanking you. I have one of my greatest friends back with us."

"You're welcome, Twilight," Rarity smiled, "now let us go bask in the glory with all our other friends."

"Of course," answered Twilight, "and I'm more than sure you want to spend some quality time with Sweetie Belle too, right?"

"More than ever." Rarity said.

Twilight smiled, then reopened the door to the throne room, where the two ponies were bombarded with hugs from all of their friends.

_Having Rarity back with us is a Hearth's Warming miracle!_ Twilight beamed.

"Thank you, everypony!" Rarity told us. "I simply cannot wait to enjoy the rest of my life with all of my friends!"

"Neither can we, Rarity!" Everyone cried out.

Princess Celestia smiled at the enlarged group and allowed all of them to head back home with Rarity safe and sound. They all left the castle fairly quickly and decided to enjoy their time in the newly constructed Canterlot Town Square, along with Rarity. This was a special occasion to them all, seeing how it signified that all of their friendships were once again as strong as a horse.

* * *

After a long, exhilarating day in Canterlot, it was decided that the group should head home for the night, well most of them, at least. As for Twilight and Lunar, they decided to stay behind in Canterlot and catch up with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Princess Celestia told Twilight that they were both staying here for the night while somepony else watched over the Crystal Castle. A happy Twilight headed straight towards the Canterlot Castle with Lunar and went straight to see Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. As they began entering the castle again, they both saw Princess Luna up in the balcony, watching over her beloved moon. Twilight smiled and called out to her.

"Good evening, Princess Luna!" called Twilight.

"Good evening, Princess Twilight." She called back. "Good evening, Prince Lunar."

"Are Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor still awake?" Twilight asked her.

"Most certainly, Twilight." Princess Luna replied.

"Good," she replied, "I'll talk to you later, Princess Luna."

"Have a good night, Princess Twilight." Princess Luna responded. "I express the same to you, Prince Lunar."

"You have a good night as well, Princess Luna." Lunar told her as the two alicorns entered the castle.

"Good evening, Your Highness." One of Luna's royal guards spoke. "Good evening, Your Majesty."

"Good evening, kind sir." Lunar replied.

"Could you escort us to the room where Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are staying in tonight, please?" Twilight requested.

"Much obliged, Princess Twilight." He responded, escorting both alicorns down the main hallway. Eventually, they reached the room and the guard turned to and bowed at Twilight and Lunar. "Here we are, the room to Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor."

Twilight smiled. "Thank you, kind sir."

"Is there anything else that either of you need?" the guard asked.

"No," Lunar replied, "your services are completed. Thank you again."

"You're welcome." The guard then started walking back to his post.

Twilight giggled slightly, then knocked on the door. A couple of seconds later, the door opened up and Shining Armor was revealed to the lovebird alicorns. He appeared to be very happy and invited them both inside.

"Twilight!" Princess Cadance beamed delightfully. "Lunar!"

"Hello there!" Twilight replied.

"Good evening, Princess Cadance." Lunar smiled. He then bumped hooves with Shining Armor. "Hey."

"How's it goin'?" Shining Armor asked.

Lunar wrapped a wing around Twilight at that moment. "It's going good."

"That's good." He continued. He then paid attention to Twilight. "So how are you, kid?"

"Heh heh," chuckled Twilight, "I'm fine, Shining Armor."

Shining Armor smiled, then proceeded to ask another question. "How has things been with your...uhh..."

"Your condition." finished Princess Cadance.

"It's been fine," answered Twilight, receiving a ton of support from Lunar in the process, "I'm stuck like that forever, so I can only embrace my differences and not shun them."

"That's a great way to see it, Twilight," Princess Cadance praised.

"Do Mom and Dad know about it yet?" Shining Armor asked his little sister.

"Not yet," she answered, "Frankly, I'm not even sure if I should tell them...I mean, how do you explain that to Mom? 'Hey, Mom, just want to let you know that your daughter is a vampony, but don't worry about her, she's fine.' She'd freak out if she found out about this."

"You do have a very valid point, Twilight." Princess Cadance acknowledged. "I remember your parents from the days where I was foalsitting you and I know that they...won't take it lightly..."

"Tell me about it, Cadance," Twilight replied, "but enough about me and my condition. I'd rather keep that as quiet as possible. As far as anypony's concern is, I'm just a regular, normal alicorn."

"It is for the best." nodded Lunar.

Shining Armor agreed. "I suppose. I mean, imagine how your subjects would react if they knew that their Princess was a blood sucking vampony...that wouldn't sit well with them, and that definitely won't sit well with Princess Celestia."

"Right," Twilight continued, "but enough about me. How are you two doing? How's the Crystal Empire been lately?"

"The Crystal Empire is simply fine, Twilight," Princess Cadance said.

"The Crystal ponies have been giving off a ton of love and harmony recently." added Shining Armor.

"The Equestria Games are just around the corner, right?" asked Lunar.

"Maybe that's why they are so happy." Twilight thought.

"That is true," Princess Cadance smiled, "you remember how happy they were once they found out that we would be hosting the next Equestria Games, so that does seem like a very probable explanation."

"Very probable indeed, dear," Shining Armor added.

"What about you, you two?" Princess Cadance asked. "How are things in Ponyville? I'm hearing talks of Princess Celestia letting you rule there and also letting you rule over Manehattan, is that true?"

"It was," answered Twilight, "but we chose to watch over only Ponyville, not rule it. Don't get me wrong, I do consider myself to be a good leader, but I want things to remain as normal as they were prior to me becoming an alicorn. As for Manehattan, both Lunar and I chose to pass on it; we didn't want to rule over it."

"If that's what makes you happy, Twily," Shining Armor stated.

"Then we are happy as well." finished Princess Cadance.

"Thanks," Twiligth replied.

Some more time had passed by between the four royal ponies, conversing the entire way through. They had all shared some laughs, some shareable moments, cherished the memories of the the past, and thought about what will come in the future. Before long, Twilight had noticed that it was nearly the middle of the night. The trains usually stopped running at about this time and Twilight was a little more tired than usual, so Lunar and Twilight decided to sleep here with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, as long as it was perfectly fine with them both.

"Of course it's fine with us, Twily," Shining Armor smiled.

"It is late and you both must be exhausted," added Princess Cadance, "it's perfectly fine with us letting you sleep here tonight."

"Thank you," Twilight and Lunar replied, "both of you."

"No problem at all, you two." Shining Armor smiled.

Twilight smiled back at my brother and made her way towards the spare bed that was inside the room along with Lunar. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor always slept together, so this was fine with them. Twilight and Lunar crawled under the covers into their bed together, as did Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in their bed, before the lights turned off. Twilight found herself deeply asleep quickly thereafter.

* * *

The next morning, both Twilight and Lunar woke up pretty early, as all Princesses and Princes do. The royal family, as Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, Twilight, and Lunar are often called by everypony, was wide awake by sunrise. Once the sun rose, Princess Luna took off towards her room to get her much needed sleep. In the meantime, Twilight and Lunar enjoyed the crisp, cool morning air Canterlot had to offer together. It's been a while since either Twilight or Lunar basked in the glory of living in Canterlot, so they made it a goal to enjoy the morning air.

Shining Armor had found both Twilight and Lunar walking through the Canterlot Sculpture Garden, paying their respects towards the statue of their friends. He came up to the two alicorns and started having a conversation with them about Twilight.

"You sure that you'll be okay, Twilight?" He asked lowly, trying to not be loud.

"What do you mean?" Twilight responded.

"Your condition," he replied, "you aren't one of them any longer. And she isn't like you any longer either."

Shining Armor pointed a hoof at Rarity, meaning that both Twilight and Rarity had switched roles and that Twilight took over what Rarity once was. Twilight stared at my brother, giving Shining Armor some much needed assurance.

"Everything is fine." She smiled at him. "Lunar and I are making it a mission not to show that side of me to anypony. We don't need that to happen here again, plus, the increased strength could come in handy if Discord or any of them try harming Equestria."

"I suppose you're right, Twily," Shining Armor said, "like usual."

"I try my best, BBBFF." Twilight told him.

Shining Armor smiled, then placed a hoof on the princess' shoulder. "If you ever need anything, you know that I'll always be there for you."

"Thank you, Shining Armor." Twilight answered, embracing her brother in a big, sibling appreciative hug.

"Alright kid," he told Twilight, "Cadance and I have to get going. Gotta make sure everything is okay back home."

"I understand," Twilight said, "we have to get back home, too. I can't imagine how my friends must have felt, knowing that we stood here instead of going home with them."

"I'm sure they'll understand." Shining Armor assured Twilight.

"I'm sure too," Twilight replied, "and make sure to tell Cadance that I said 'Hi.'"

"Will do, little sister." Shining Armor smiled, hugging Twilight and bumping Lunar's hoof before leaving for home - The Crystal Empire.

Both Lunar and Twilight stared at the statue of their friends a little while longer before also preparing to go home. They knew that they were in for a big welcome, seeing how Rarity was with them once again.

"Come on, Lunar," Twilight smiled, turning around, "let's go home."

"After you, my Princess," Lunar acknowledged, walking with Twilight back to the train station.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Once the train had arrived at the station, both Lunar and Twilight had boarded it promptly. Oddly enough, they were both tired from spending time with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, catching up on life and certain events and whatnot.

As always, the train ride back to Ponyville wasn't very long, but once Twilight and Lunar had arrived back at the Ponyville Train Station, the two alicorns were greeted warmly by their friends.

"Twilight!" They all shouted. "Lunar!"

"Hi girls!" called Twilight.

"Hey everypony!" Lunar added.

"How was Canterlot?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"It was good," Twilight answered.

"What did you do after we left?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight looked over towards Lunar and, as they both assumed, they knew this question was going to come up. They both knew that they would need to derive a lie to excuse their visit with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance over themselves, but they opted to tell the truth instead after staring into each others' eyes for a brief period of time.

"We spent some time catching up with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor," Twilight explained.

"We hadn't seen them in a long time, so we figured that it was a good time to do so." Lunar added.

"What did you do with them in Canterlot?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Nothing too serious, Rarity," Lunar answered.

"We had some dinner, saw some stars, nothing really out there like a pony would do in Canterlot." Twilight smiled.

"Oh, how I long to live in Canterlot." Rarity chimed, like she always did.

"We could go there if you want to, you know." Robert pitched to Rarity.

"And leave my friends here in Ponyville?" Rarity immediately questioned. "I would never do such a thing like that. Who needs Canterlot when everything that makes you happy is sitting right before you?"

"Friendship is truly powerful." smiled Twilight.

"It sure is," Rarity replied, "why, just look at what it's done for me!"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash began, "it brought you back from..._the living _**_deeeaaad_**__!__Muahaha!"

"Oh come now, Rainbow Dash," Rarity scolded, "there's no reason to put it in that perspective."

"But it is true." protested Rainbow Dash.

"But I'd love it if you explained it as being given a second chance." Rarity explained. "Not the walking dead becoming undead."

"Now, now you two," Twilight called, trying to ease the situation, "let's just bask in the glory that we have our Rarity back with us once more."

"Right," Rarity agreed, "and let's also thank Twilight for transforming everypony back to what they once were!"

"Right," added Twilight, admittedly a bit slowly, "now we don't have to worry about anypony be-"

"Anypony but you," Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Robert asked.

"Oh, come on!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Twilight is still a vampony!"

"So?" Lunar asked.

"So who's to say that you won't go crazy like Rare and Rob did and go on an all-you-can-drink blood spree and do what they did?" Rainbow Dash protested. "Who's to say that that won't happen again with you, Twilight?"

"It won't happen again, Rainbow." Lunar responded, defending Twilight.

"How do you know that?" Rainbow Dash shot back, hovering directly in front of Lunar's face.

"Because I am a strong pony who can control myself from doing that!" Twilight answered back immediately after Rainbow Dash finished her question.

"And they weren't?" Rainbow Dash asked, turning towards Twilight and pointing towards Rarity and Robert.

"They are strong," Twilight responded, trying her best not to insult either one of them in the process, "but the spirit was stronger. I had it, and still have it, and I was the only one that the spirit could not take over. I am going to be just fine, Dash, and so are my subjects and Equestria, for that matter."

"I'll be there to say 'I told you so' the day that that happens once more, Twilight," Rainbow Dash told Twilight, "and trust me when I say that it will be one of the most hardest things I'll have to say if and when it does happen."

"Which it won't." Lunar protested.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in disgust, which made Twilight slightly blow a fuse.

"Dash," Twilight said, "maybe I should let you know how this feels. Then we can see how hard it is to not lose control!"

"Uhh, Twily," Lunar interjected, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I have to agree with Lunar, Twilight," Fluttershy softly spoke.

"I can handle it, Lunar," Twilight replied, turning towards Rainbow Dash once more, "if she thinks it's so easy, she's about to be proven horrifically wrong."

"You want a bet!?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You're on!"

"Keep in mind, Rainbow, that you will no longer be a normal Pegasus anymore." Rarity warned.

"So?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "Super strength, super speed, the ability to heal quicker! How can that be a bad thing!? I'm prepared to make that sacrifice!"

"Are you sure you want to do that, Twilight?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Fluttershy's right," added Applejack, "remembah that all that happened after Rarity bit Rob an' look what that led to. Are y'all sure that this is a good thing?"

While the group slightly bickered about Twilight's current condition, Twilight thought about it herself for a while. She was definitely voting against transforming Rainbow Dash into what she was, a vampony, but Twilight lost her temper the second Rainbow Dash called her a chicken which, on a side note, if you were unable to tell right now, Twilight has a very short temper, which is bad when you're a Princess like her, seeing how everypony comes to her for advice, ranging from the brightest of ponies, to the gloomiest of them.

"I'm not a chicken, Rainbow Dash!" shouted Twilight.

"So do it then!" Rainbow Dash challenged.

"Fine, then," Twilight answered, "I will!"

"Oh boy..." Applejack spoke.

"This isn't going to end well..." added Fluttershy.

"Twilight..." Lunar softly stated.

Twilight turned to Lunar. "It'll be okay, Lunar. I know what to do." She turned to Rainbow Dash again. "Hold still, Dash, this may hurt for just a sec."

"Nothing hurts me," Rainbow Dash replied, "do your worst!"

"If you insist." Twilight answered.

As the other ponies looked down out of a sense of shame, Twilight extended her fangs rapidly and drove them deep into Rainbow Dash's neck. She let out a quick yelp before covering up her mouth with her hoof while Twilight drew out some of Rainbow Dash's blood and began to drink it, which tasted awful in Twilight's opinion. She didn't take a lot; just enough to transform Rainbow Dash.

Twilight could agree with Fluttershy in saying that this will definitely not end well in the future - Rainbow Dash the vampony...sounds pretty sketchy to them all.

Twilight released her grip from Rainbow Dash and removed her fangs from her neck. Rainbow Dash started coughing some blood and Twilight immediately thought that she may have overdone it a bit.

"How do you feel, Rainbow?" Rarity asked.

"I...feel..._AWESOME_!" She shouted.

She flew through the air at her alarmingly fast paced speed, testing out her new speed and stopping to test out her new strength as well. Twilight rose an eyebrow at her while the other ponies glanced towards Twilight.

"Now let's see how long you can last being like this." Twilight told Rainbow Dash.

"It'll be easy, Twi!" Rainbow Dash insisted.

The other ponies shook their heads in disapproval.

"Suit yourself, Rainbow," Twilight replied, "but don't go driving your teeth into anypony else. If you do, I'll make sure that Celestia will deal with you personally."

"Relax, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, "you have nothing to worry about!"

__I sure hope not...___ Twilight_ thought before realizing her mistake. _What have I done? Why did I do that?_

"Thanks again, Twilight," Rainbow Dash showboated, "now I don't have anything to worry about!"

_But I do...oh, sweet Celestia...what have I done? _Twilight continued in her mind, looking down slightly._ What will you think of me? How will this play out? Will things be okay? Will history repeat itself? It always does! What in the hoof was I thinking of!?_

"Don't drive your teeth into anypony else now, Rainbow!" Lunar warned Rainbow Dash. "We don't want another vampony invasion again, now do we?"

"Relax, Lunar," Rainbow assured me, "none of you have anything to worry about!"

_You have NO idea, Dash...no idea whatsoever._

Twilight couldn't face her friends any longer for today. It was only mid-morning, but Twilight already been through enough for today. She flew back home to her castle with Lunar and locked herself in her room, collapsing onto her bed. She held he pillow over her head and began screaming from under it. Twilight realized that she had just put her life in jeopardy by infecting Rainbow Dash.

_Rainbow Dash! _Twilight screamed internally. _Of all ponies, it __had __to be Rainbow Dash who went and blew my fuse. I love Rainbow Dash dearly as a friend, though let's be honest, she isn't known for keeping a promise over a span of...say, A LIFETIME! I. Am. A. Dead. Pony!_

Knocks came from her bedroom door and Twilight immediately shot her head up from under her pillow. She began to feel her heart sink as the piercing knocks suddenly became thuds. The first thing that came to mind was if Rainbow Dash had already broken her promise. She had tried to find the strength to answer the door, but there was none to be found.

"Twilight," Spike called, "are you okay in there?"

_Thank Celestia that it's only Spike at my door and not Celestia...or Luna...or Celestia and Luna...or-_

"Twilight?" Lunar called.

Twilight got up from her bed and flew over to her door. She unlocked my door and allowed Spike and Lunar to come into the room. They both came in, closely following behind Twilight as she collapsed back onto her bed once more. Twilight then dragged the pillow back over her head again, but found it being forcefully removed by Spike himself while Lunar began rubbing Twilight's back softly.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Spike asked soothingly.

"Oh, Spike," Twilight said through my tears, "I did something horrible..."

"What happened?" he asked again, not wanting to make any jokes seeing how the timing was impeccably off.

"I...bit Rainbow Dash and infected her-er-er..." Twilight cried, rushing into Lunar's hooves for comfort.

"Why did you do that?" Spike questioned. "Did you not remember what happened last time something like this happened?"

"I do, Spike," Twilight replied, "but...but...I..."

"Why did you do that?" he boldly asked.

"She angered Twilight," Lunar answered.

Twilight nodded, then cried some more. "And I...I just lost control..."

"That's no reason to infect one of your __friends__, Twilight." Spike advised.

"I know," Twilight responded, "but she figured that being like this was easy, so I challenged her to see how hard it is to stay a normal pony...I...Oh, Spike...what do I do?"

"There, there, Twilight," Spike comforted Twilight, cradling her head in his small arms while Lunar went back to rubbing Twilight's back, "it'll be fine...Rainbow Dash is loyal and will keep a promise not to infect anypony else. I know it."

"I don't know, Spike," Twilight admitted, looking into Spike's green eyes, "I just can't see that promise lasting an eternity..."

Spike was just about to say something else, when they were all cut off by some intense screaming coming from outside. Lunar perched his ears up and pulled away from the bed to see what was going on. Twilight then lifted her head from Spike's arms and flew over to the balcony door and opened it up, stepping hoof out onto the balcony to see what all the ruckus was about.

"Princess Twilight!" somepony called out. "Prince Lunar!"

The two alicorns looked down from the balcony and saw Mayor Mare calling out to them. Both of them flew down to the ground so that they were within speaking distance. Twilight stepped onto the ground just in front of Mayor Mare and politely asked her what the trouble was while Lunar hovered up above.

"It's Rainbow Dash," Mayor Mare replied, "she's going crazy and biting everypony in sight..."

"No..." Twilight softly spoke. "Not again..."

"She has to be stopped!" the mayor told the two royal ponies.

"We'll see it that this stops, Mayor Mare," Lunar responded.

"Don't worry," Twilight assured the mayor, "I'll take care of this."

"Thank you, Princess Twilight, Prince Lunar." Mayor Mare responded before rushing off to go find safety.

Spike came rushing out of the house shortly afterwards and came up to Twilight, asking her what was wrong. Twilight looked down wearily at him and said nothing. Instead, she embraced her longest and most meaningful friend, who has been there with her from the very beginning back in Canterlot, in a very long hug.

"What's going on, Twilight?" Spike asked, hints of confusion showing in his voice.

"Spike," Twilight softly replied, "I love you." She then turned to Lunar and kissed him passionately on his lips. "I love you to, Lunar." She then held her head down lowly. "I love Rarity. I love Applejack. I love Fluttershy. I love Pinkie Pie. I love Rainbow Dash. I love Princess Celestia. I love Princess Luna. I love Princess Cadance. I love Prince Shining Armor. I love my mother. I love my father. I love everypony."

"Why are you saying that?" Spike asked.

"Because this is the last time you will see me." Twilight emotionlessly told him.

"The last time?" Spike reiterated.

Twilight flew off before answering and assured him that it was indeed the last time that anypony will see her. Lunar flew after Twilight, but was unable to catch up with her. The gap between the two alicorns slowly grew, but it was growing.

_I knew Rainbow Dash wouldn't be able to keep a promise forever,_ Twilight cried to herself,_ let alone even a few hours._

She felt tears be released from her eyes as she flew over towards a large cliff. Twilight touched the ground and peered her head over the side of the cliff, revealing a long and dangerously harmful fall.

"High enough," Twilight told herself.

She looked up into the clouds and cried some more. Twilight wept heavily, not wanting to do what she was about to do, but she had to do it.

"Twilight!"

Twilight turned and saw an exhausted Lunar touch base in front of her. He collected his much needed air, then hugged Twilight tightly.

"Please, Twilight," he cried, "there has to be another way..."

"I'm sorry, Lunar," Twilight cried as well, kissing Lunar on his lips – the last time she'll do so – before hugging him back. "I have to do this...it's the only way."

"Twilight..."

"I love you, Lunar..." Twilight quietly told him. "I will miss you very, very much and our friends."

"Please, Twilight..."

Twilight knew what had to be done. Since Rainbow Dash was infecting everypony, and she was the head vampony, there was only one thing that Twilight could do and that was to remove myself permanently. She stepped out over the side of the cliff and began falling at an alarmingly fast pace. Twilight felt her wings wanting to extend themselves from instinct, but she forced them to stay by her sides. Twilight closed her eyes and began remembering all the good times she's had along with her friends over the years...Nightmare Night, Hearth's Warming Eve, Hearts and Hooves Day, defeating plenty of villains along the way together. She thought back to the day she met each and every one of them, especially Lunar.

_My coronation, all of our adventures, all we had been through...I will truly miss each and every one of them very, very much._

Twilight opened her eyes and saw the ground below her. She closed her eyes once more and said the last words she would ever say again.

"I have no regrets."

As for Lunar, he watched in horror as Twilight collided with the ground. He reached out for her as she fell, but came up short of his reach. He cried out on the cliff as the chilling thought that his beloved Twilight was gone forever sank in to his mind.

"Twilight..."

* * *

A few days had passed before a proper funeral was held for the late Princess Twilight. The funeral was held inside the main hall inside the Canterlot castle and was attended by many ponies of all kind and from all over Equestria. It was a tough moment, especially for Lunar and the rest of Twilight's friends, as they all watched the casket that housed Twilight's deceased body. Rainbow Dash took this especially hard.

_It's all my fault, _Rainbow Dash thought, _I did this...I __caused __this...She didn't have to die...not now...but, it was what I did that made _her...She shook her head a bit. _Please, I'm Rainbow Dash...I can't show tears to anypony...but, Twilight was my friend...Twilight was __our__friend...an irreplaceable friend for that matter! Things will never be the same without Twilight..._

Moments later, Princess Celestia stepped up in front of all the ponies in the room and addressed them all. The funeral was just about to start.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia started saying, "was a phenomenal Princess. She was my best and brightest student and could pull off amazing miracles along with her friends Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Robert, Spike, and Prince Lunar Nights. She has performed many miracles, such as saving Equestria numerous times, reuniting me with my sister, Princess Luna, as well as many other things. It is with a heavy heart that I say that Twilight Sparkle...Princess Twilight Sparkle, excuse me, will be forever missed and has left us so suddenly. Princess Twilight Sparkle was an amazing student, a great leader, a wonderful friend, and will forever be missed. She was truly an irreplaceable pony to us all."

Silence trickled down thereafter briefly as some ponies began to weep. Hundreds of ponies lined up this hall, with thousands more lined up outside. Shining Armor, Twilight's brother, Princess Cadance, Twilight's parents as well as Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, Robert, Rainbow Dash, and Lunar were all lined up behind Princess Celestia and were all dreadfully sobbing. Princess Celestia then turned around and faced towards a weakened Prince Lunar Nights.

"I understand that the Prince would like to say something regarding Princess Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia continued, "Prince Lunar?"

Before Lunar could go, Rainbow Dash held a hoof over his shoulder, holding him back. She nodded towards him and asked if she could go instead. Lunar replied with a silent nod and allowed Rainbow Dash to speak. Stepping up, Rainbow Dash wiped away some tears and began addressing the crowd of ponies in front of her.

"Twilight was an amazing friend," she began, "She was an amazing friend to us all. She's touched our hearts in ways that I didn't even think were possible. I stand before you today, not as a great athlete or as an awesome Pegasus, but as a little fragile filly; a filly who has just lost one of her greatest friends. From the very moment I met her back in Ponyville preparing for the annual Summer Sun Celebration all those years ago, I knew that we were going to be the best of friends, me and her. Together, we did just about everything together. I can say from past experiences that Twilight was there for me; for all of us. She will be truly missed and the world will no longer be the same without her presence."

Rainbow Dash wiped away more tears from her eyes as she stepped back towards the group of friends. They hugged each other as they all began to cry together. Soon after, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and even Twilight's parents joined us in the hug. They were all crying for the loss of a historic and life changing pony and knew that nothing would ever be the same ever again.

_And to think that this was all my fault..._ Rainbow Dash guiltily thought.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna broke away from the hug and used their magic to move Twilight's coffin outside, where a hole had been dug prior to the funeral starting. The ponies from inside the hall all followed them outside as they began to slowly lower Twilight into the ground.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said, "forever may you rest in peace."

Twilight's coffin was fully encased in the ground thereafter and was starting to get covered up. It was tough looking at that but I had to be strong now...it's what Twilight would've wanted.

After she was buried, the funeral had ended and each of the ponies all went separate ways. Rainbow Dash approached the edge of Canterlot and looked out into the horizon. She looked down below her and saw that she was hanging above a fairly large cliff. Inside, Rainbow Dash felt that she couldn't be here any more and decided to join Twilight in the afterlife.

_It's my fault that she's no longer here with us, _Rainbow Dash contemplated,_ it would be fair if I ended my life as well._

With nobody around to stop her, Rainbow Dash climbed up and over the railing protecting ponies from falling over and felt the wind brush against her rainbow colored mane. She took one last breath of air, then slowly fell over the side of the cliff, keeping her wings tucked in by her sides. She closed her eyes and began to remember all the good times she's had with her friends, knowing that she was happy with them all, especially Twilight.

_She was truly an inspirational friend and I am honored to have met and lived alongside her, _she thought,_ most importantly, I am honored that I could have called Twilight my friend._

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth one final time and spoke the very last words that she would ever say again.

"I love you, Twilight Spark-"

* * *

Deep within the Everfree Forest, there lives some vicious creatures. They aren't as large as timberwolves are, but they are just as powerful and as dangerous as they are. These creatures, some ravenous, man-eating wolves – werewolves, to be exact – have rarely ever been seen by anyone in Equestria. These wolves fend for themselves and maul and obliterate anything that comes near them, easily outrunning everyone that dares approaches them.

Princess Twilight Sparkle and her body have been laying out in the middle of a completely secluded area, one where nopony has ever been before. She's been here for just under a month now, completely unable to move. Most ponies believe that her body is locked away and buried inside a coffin in the ground in Canterlot, but this is not the case. Ponies were unable to retrieve her body and buried an empty casket, leaving Twilight's body out here in the cold forest, waiting for something to happen. Perhaps this is what truly happens to us all when we die and depart from this sacred world. Nothing happens at all! Just a space taking body stuck here.

Twilight is only in this particular scenario because she was forced to do so. An epidemic was going throughout Ponyville, courtesy of, once again, Rainbow Dash, where everyone was becoming a blood sucking vampire pony, or vampony for short. Since this happened not to long ago, Twilight knew what to do; she knew what had to be done.

Since she herself was the head vampony, Twilight had to forcefully remove her from society and stop the epidemic and the transformation and deaths of innocent ponies. She told Spike that she loved him dearly, as well as everyone else, before flying off to save everyone from the madness. She jumped off the side of a cliff deep within the Everfree Forest and had committed suicide, though did manage to revert everyone back to normal, while also ceasing the dreaded vampony curse.

Not too long after that, Rainbow Dash also committed suicide because she couldn't live with the guilt and heartache of losing one of her best friends so abruptly. Rainbow Dash knew that Twilight's death was her fault, so she sought out to make things right. She thought that it wouldn't be fair for her to continue living while her greatest friend was dead, so she also removed herself from society by jumping off another cliff. "I love you Twilight Sparkle" were Rainbow Dash's last words before she had died.

Focusing on Twilight, though, her body had started to slightly decompose based off of how long she had been here. The smell was horrid to anyone who could sense it, but a couple of the creatures that surrounded the area found it breathtaking and addictive. A couple of them made shelter near Twilight's body and began guarding it. They made her body their own property and defended it from anyone who dared try to steal the body.

Granted, the body was double the size of the creatures, the werewolves to be more specific, but they guarded it as if Twilight were their Queen. Timberwolves stood no chance against the werewolves and cockatrices fared no better.

One night, with a full moon high up in the sky, one of the werewolves began howling, slowly being followed by all the others. This particular werewolf was diseased and had rabies. This werewolf was near the brink of death and needed to pass along its life to another host, as infections generally do. Once this werewolf stopped howling, he took it upon himself to quickly find a new host body to pass along the infection while the other wolves continued howling up into the sky.

There were no other creatures of living beings nearby that didn't have this infection already. Nobody, but Twilight, that is. Without hesitation, the werewolf made a break for Twilight's collapsed body. The other wolves noticed this and started to attack the diseased wolf, trying to stop him before he sank his sharp canine teeth into Twilight's decomposing skin.

The diseased wolf was quickly surrounded by all the other wolves and, when they all jumped at him at the same time, the diseased wolf ran under everyone and drove his teeth into Twilight's side, right under her left wing, which was being used as a pillow for some of the other wolves. The diseased wolf tore off a bit of Twilight's skin and ate it whole! He then ran off into the dark, mystifying forest alone, quickly being chased by all the other wolves.

Twilight's body was left all alone in the middle of the area in the middle of the night. Nobody came, nobody saw, nobody helped, nobody noticed. Twilight was left all by herself while the other wolves chased after the wolf that just took a bite of her. A few moments later, some screams and shouts of pain could be heard from within the forest, which caused a few birds to flee from the area, seeing how they were startled by the sudden screams.

Twilight's body - her wings, more specifically - began moving through the slight breeze that had picked up suddenly. The breeze brushed Twilight's wing above the hole in her body and laid it to rest there. A few short moments later, some blood had started dripping from the hole and onto Twilight's wing, ultimately dripping onto the cold dirt ground, drop by drop, slowly forming a puddle of blood, which continuously and surely grew to the diameter of a bike tire.

The wind picked up once more and shifted Twilight's mane, making it touch the puddle of blood whilst staining her gorgeous indigo mane. The wind picked up yet again and this time, it gently shuttered Twilight's eyelashes against each other.

The wolves were still out in the forest, probably mauling the diseased wolf that just ate a chunk of Twilight's skin, but the more they killed the diseased animal, the more things began happening to Twilight. Finally, when they had completed their mauling of the diseased wolf, Twilight's eyes had begun to slowly open. She felt dizzy and woozy, needing desperately to determine what exactly was happening right now. Her body had begun performing some unusual changes, increasing her height a bit and forming these unusual shaped hooves - furry hooves, if you will.

She found that her mane had increased several inches and was now flowing elegantly in the nighttime breeze, though this is something that never happened during the night with her mane the way it was. Her tail appeared to do the same, increasing several inches in length and, like her mane, began flowing through the air along with the gentle breeze of the night.

Twilight found some unusual strength all of a sudden and could finally stand atop her own furry hooves once more after laying on the ground dead for the last few weeks, close to a month, two months tops. She was fascinated by her newfound strength and took this opportunity to study her new body and features.

"What am I?" She asked herself, striking her gentle lips with her now sharp canine teeth, piercing them and causing it to bleed.

She heard some sounds coming from somewhere within the forest and began to shuffle backwards, until she began hearing the sounds come from behind her. Twilight shuffled to the center of the open area and tried flying out safely, but found herself to be too heavy with her new weight caused by her heavy fur. She frantically looked for a way out, but found nowhere to go.

Twilight Sparkle was trapped with no place to hide.

"Why can't I fly!?" wailed Twilight.

She tried desperately to fly away to safety. Try as she might, however, she would utterly fail in her attempts each and every time. Twilight soon found herself surrounded completely by nine little creatures - nine little creatures that appeared to strike Twilight at any given moment. Twilight glanced at each of the none creatures, trying her best to stay as perfectly calm as she normally was.

"Nice, little...creatures," Twilight squeaked, "nice creatures."

The nine creatures simply stared at Twilight, eyeballing her from top to bottom. They appeared to want to attack, but something didn't seem quite as right as anyone thought. Twilight took notice of this, then began studying some of her body features compared to the nine creatures. She noticed plenty of similar features - the sharp fangs, the furry body, the same type of muzzle - and came to a wild hypothesis that she was one of them. Trust me, it sounds insane, but what else could answer this in a logical explanation?

Suddenly, one of the creatures, the tallest one to be exact, slowly began to approach the befuddled revived Princess. Twilight held one of her hooves - her furry, furry hooves - in the air, like any feminine creature or animal would, while she was being approached. The creature stopped a few feet away from Twilight and looked up at the towering Princess, simply staring into her eyes.

"Uh, I-I don't want any trouble, little creature," Twilight uncomfortably requested, "really, I don't."

The creature, obviously lacking the ability to communicate, tilted his head slightly towards the right. Twilight shuffled backwards a bit while giving off an uncomfortable false smile. She turned around and proceeded to one direction, hoping that it would be the right direction to home, but was greeted to two of the remaining eight creatures circling around her.

Twilight took the note and faced the center creature once more. She felt a chilling breeze slowly creep along her backside and started to feel more uncomfortable than she had ever been before. The breeze caused her to outstretch her wings, revealing them to all nine creatures. The creatures were all mesmerized by Twilight's wings and soon grasped their attentions to the wings and away from Twilight. Well, most of them, anyway. The creature originally in the center still focused on Twilight's eyes. Twilight was growing a little more bashful as time continued to pass on by.

The creature in the center – who was still facing Twilight – Twilight assumed was the leader of these eight other creatures, who were now playfully batting at her two wings. She stared blankly into the creature's eyes and stared him down. The creature did the same to Twilight, but began growling at her after some time. The growling got the eight other creatures to cease their playing with Twilight's wings and rapidly draw a circle around Twilight - a very, very tightly constructed circle. Twilight, who was more than doubled the height of each creature, paid no attention towards any other creature, but the one who began the growling.

Twilight actually answered the creature's growl with one of her own, something she found surprising and shocking. Her sane self was wondering why she was growling, but something else inside of her told her to stand her ground. The creature then barked, closely being followed by barks coming from the eight other creatures, then from Twilight. An all out, nine-on-one brawl was on the brink of breaking out, until something else abruptly happened.

The growling and barking coming from the creatures and Twilight had awoken some slumbering timberwolves nearby. The timberwolves weren't fond of the bickering that was taking place not too far from them and began to take out their subliminal rage on the creatures and Twilight. The arguing stopped between Twilight and the creatures as they all sprinted out in different directions, frantically trying to get to safety.

Twilight unfortunately had tripped over and was left all alone on the ground as the creatures scattered from the area. The timberwolves took this wonderful opportunity to attempt to take out one of the main reasons for the scuffle and slowly approached Twilight.

Twilight tried getting back up, but couldn't manage to find a grip and stand atop her hooves. Time wasn't on her side neither, seeing how the timberwolves now towered over the collapsed Princess. All Twilight could do was shut her eyes and prepare for the worst, seeing how she was having a hard time performing basic magic and even flying. She cowered up and prepared for the worst to come as the timberwolves began growling at her.

Twilight braced herself for the worst to come, preparing for whatever the towering timberwolves were to do to her. She noticed that one of them started to get closer and that it revealed their sharp, wooden teeth. She had shut her eyes tightly and prepared for what it was about to do to her, but after nothing had happened for quite some time, she had reopened her eyes and noticed that the timberwolves were staring at something else now.

Twilight turned her attention from the timberwolves to whatever they were staring at and noticed the same nine little creatures from before. They had come back and were trying to help out Twilight now. The middle creature, the tallest one, stepped forward and started barking and growling at the timberwolves, of which they stepped away from Twilight and began to approach the creatures.

Twilight was thankful that the creatures that nearly attacked her were now helping her and took this opportunity to sprint away from her current location to someplace elsewhere. She had sprinted out to someplace east of her current location, hoping for the best that it was the right way home. She had sprinted for a while, hearing a few cries along the way. She didn't want to stop and see what the matter was, she just continued running.

A few miles later, Twilight noticed a fairly dim light, just one. She approached the light slowly and noticed that the light was emanating from an oddly shaped tree. Twilight glanced at the tree and noticed that something looked familiar about it, but she couldn't place her hoof on what exactly was so familiar about it. She approached the door and knocked slightly on it, receiving an answer a few moments later. In the doorway stood a multi-colored pony, one that Twilight had never really spotted before. Twilight never spotted this herself, but the pony standing in the doorway seemed to know Twilight.

"Princess Twilight," they started, "why this is quite the sight!"

"How do you know who I am?" Twilight questioned. "Who are you?"

"I am Zecora, don't you know?" Zecora stated. "I've known you since you were a younger foal. But what has happened to you? My eyes cannot believe what is true."

"I don't know what has happened to me..." Twilight coldly replied, hints of regret and confusion sounding in her voice.

"Come," Zecora continued, "let me see. Surely what has happened cannot be."

Twilight was shown inside the tree and looked around. The more she looked, the more she had remembered about this place. It may have taken a while for Twilight to take in and grasp some memory from the past, but it eventually hit her that she was inside Zecora's home and she finally remembered that Zecora wasn't a pony, that she was a zebra, a creature that is rare around these parts. Twilight also remembered that if this was Zecora's home, she mustn't be too far from her home back in Ponyville, her old home. She wondered if all of her friends were still there. She wondered if they had carried on with their lives or if they had forgotten about her already.

"Twilight Sparkle," Zecora said, "sit down here. I'll take a look and see just exactly what has you in a fear."

Twilight took a seat on the chair that Zecora had pointed to and immediately was being examined by Zecora closely. The so-called "exams" didn't last too long - about five minutes, to be precise - but it was within that short time frame that Zecora had learned what exactly Twilight has become.

"Princess Twilight," Zecora started after the tense silence filled the air, "I understand what you have become. You are some...some..."

"Some what?" Twilight eagerly anticipated.

"Twilight Sparkle," Zecora continued, "you have become a lycan."

That was the first time Twilight has never heard Zecora say a rhyme, though she paid little attention to that and more on what exactly she was now.

"A lycan?" Twilight asked. "What is that?"

"A lycan is a terrible wolf," Zecora answered, "a werewolf more specifically, and you are one now unfortunately. I do not know much about these things, Twilight. What you seek may be found with the Princess of the Night."

"Princess Luna may know more about lycans?" Twilight asked.

"Much more than I would know," Zecora stated, "my knowledge is far too low."

Twilight let that statement sink in before getting back up and leaving Zecora's home. She thanked Zecora for her time, who replied with a hug, as Twilight slowly exited the peculiarly shaped tree back towards Ponyville.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

With some new kind of information about what she has become now a part of her, Twilight continued her pursuits towards Ponyville, her old home. It wasn't that far of a walk, but Twilight found it to feel like an eternity. Eventually, she made it back to Ponyville and started proceeding towards her oak tree home. It was easily locatable from where she was, so she simply followed the route to her home and took a real slow stride. She was exhausted and just really wanted to rest up. She knew who would be waiting for her once she got home and knew that an explanation was inevitable.

_A lycan is a terrible wolf,_ Zecora's words rang inside Twilight's head, _a werewolf more specifically, and you are one now unfortunately._

What Twilight found truly mind boggling about the whole situation was that Zecora didn't have any background knowledge about lycans, even though she lived in the Everfree Forest, a portion of Equestria that featured creatures that were rarely ever seen by anyone at all.

Within a few more minutes, Twilight found herself located outside of her front door. She tried opening it with her magic, but she couldn't do so. Instead, she slowly raised a hoof up towards the doorknob and laid it to rest on it, but she did not open it yet. She sighed, wondering if she should even be here, wondering if her friends would even recognize her - not that they were inside her home, but still - or even if Spike or Lunar would recognize her, assuming that they still lived here. Those thoughts and hardships ran whizzing through her mind, but Twilight forced them in the back of her mind for the time being.

She opened up the door, revealing the large, circular room with tons of books lining up the shelves, just like it used to be. The lights were still on, even though it was the middle of the night. She walked around slowly, taking in the picture and the layout of how her home used to be so long ago.

Suddenly, Twilight heard someone coming down a flight of stairs, so she turned around and noticed her little purple baby dragon assistant, Spike, coming down the stairs slowly. Spike hadn't recognized Twilight at first, considering all the drastic changes that were made to Twilight's body, so he had his guard up sky high.

"Spike," Twilight started.

"Who are you?" Spike questioned. "How do you know my name?"

"I-It's me, Twilight."

"Yeah, right," Spike scoffed, "for your information, whoever you are, my dearest friend, the pony who meant the most to me, even more than Rarity, died almost two months ago. What makes you think that you can come in here and claim yourself as Twilight? That's insulting to her, Lunar, and to myself!"

"But, Spike," Twilight continued, "it's true."

"If you claim that you are Twilight," Spike continued, "then prove it!"

Another set of hooves could be heard coming down the stairs. Twilight looked up and saw that it was Lunar coming down them. Just like Spike, Lunar looked at Twilight and also failed to recognize her. He asked Spike what was going on, then got the details in return.

"This intruder is falsely accusing to be Twilight." Spike replied.

Lunar glanced at Twilight once more. "Are they now?"

"It's really me, Lunar!" Twilight begged.

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

"I can prove that it's me, guys." Twilight insisted.

"Then do it." Spike said.

Twilight didn't know what to do since she couldn't fly or perform any kind of magic spell at the moment. That's when it struck her: she was an alicorn. Not too many ponies are alicorns here in Equestria, so Twilight moved some of the fur that was covering up her horn and revealed her wings to Spike and Lunar. Both of their eyes grew wide and jaws were dropped as they both saw Twilight's wings and horn. The two quickly made a readjustment in their stature and started to shed tears of joy.

"It is you, Twilight!" Spike cried, running over to hug his greatest friend.

"I know it is, Spike," Twilight calmly answered, hugging her baby dragon back.

"But, how?" Lunar wondered, going over to hug Twilight tighter than he has ever hugged her before.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked right back.

"How did you come back?" Lunar continued, pulling himself from Twilight. He studied Twilight in more depth. "Better yet, what happened to you? Why do you have so much fur? What happened to your muzzle?"

"According to Zecora," Twilight started, "I am a lycan."

"What's a lycan?" Spike slowly asked.

"A lycan is a terrible wolf, a werewolf more specifically," Twilight answered, "but that's all I know."

"Zecora didn't have any further explanations?" Spike questioned.

"No," Twilight said, turning to Lunar, "but she said that Princess Luna may have some knowledge about what I have become."

"Princess Luna?" Spike scoffed. "Seriously?"

"It's worth a shot, Spike," Twilight replied, "any shot is a good shot."

"I suppose so," Spike agreed, "I just can't believe that you're back with us! I...I couldn't live without you any longer..."

"Nor could I, my dear." Lunar added, kissing Twilight's lips slowly.

"I'm happy to see you both too," Twilight smiled, returning Lunar's kiss with one of her own.

"Wait'll everypony hears about this!" Spike shouted. "They're not going to believe it!"

"I don't know if we should reveal to everypony that I'm back here in Ponyville quite just yet, Spike," Lunar claimed, "just our friends."

"Why do you say that?" Spike questioned.

"Look at me," Twilight said, spinning around briefly, "I am still a Princess - sort of - but can you imagine the mixed results I'd receive if everypony saw me like this? I would be viewed as a monster - which I suppose I am, in a way - instead of a noble Princess."

"I suppose you're right," Spike stated, "like usual, Twilight."

"I know I am, Spike," Twilight continued, "but let's wait until morning for us to tell our friends. Right now, I'm really tired...let's go to bed."

"You two go," Lunar aided, "I have some duties to perform before I can rest my head."

"If that's the case," Twilight responded, kissing Lunar once more, "see you in the morning?"

"I'll see you in the morning, Princess," smiled Lunar.

"Good." Twilight beamed.

"Goodnight, you two." Lunar said, leaving their home and flying into the sky to go meet Princess Luna.

"Goodnight, Lunar." Twilight and Spike replied, closing the door behind them.

"Let's get some rest, Spike," Twilight suggested, "whaddya say?"

"Right behind ya, Twilight." Spike chimed as they both proceeded up the stairs to the room above them.

Twilight entered the room after Spike, who headed straight to his bead inside the basket he used to sleep in as Twilight began pacing around next to it, trying to find a comfortable position. Spike noticed this quickly and proceeded to question Twilight's actions.

"Don't you want to sleep on your bed, Twilight?" He asked.

"This actually seems a bit more comfortable, Spike," Twilight replied as she found a comfortable position and laid herself down next to Spike.

"Suit yourself then." Spike said.

Twilight smiled, then yawned a bit. She closed her eyes and positioned her head in towards her body, then told Spike to have a wonderful sleep as they both wandered off into the mystical world of Dream Land. Twilight fell asleep soundly for the night, as did Spike, as they were now reunited and now a family once more.

* * *

It was morning when both Spike and Twilight the lycan had woken up. Usually, Twilight would have been up for about a couple of hours by now, but since Spike hadn't made a single sound, she couldn't tell that it was morning herself.

Eventually, Spike woke up and started stretching out his arms and back. He rubbed his eyes, then glanced over towards Twilight, smiling brightly once more.

"Good morning, Twilight," Spike calmly said, petting Twilight softly.

"Good morning, Spike," replied Twilight, yawning slightly.

"Haven't said that in ages," Spike claimed, referring to the 'Good morning' he just gave Twilight, "it feels good to say that once more."

"I'm sure it does, Spike," Twilight agreed, looking back at her tail for a quick second.

Something inside Twilight's mind was telling her that she should chase it. It sounded weird, but you know what they say, easy come, easy goes, right? Anyway, Twilight followed the voice inside her head and began chasing after her tail. Spike had climbed out of his bed and immediately noticed this, questioning Twilight and her actions yet again.

"Uh, Twilight," he started, "what are you doing?"

"Must chase tail." Twilight quietly responded. "Must chase tail."

"'Must chase tail'?" Spike reiterated. "And why is that?"

Twilight stopped chasing her tail and shook her head vigorously. She glanced over at Spike and smiled at him brightly.

"Let's go see Princess Luna," she suggested, "I want to know more about myself."

"I don't know, Twilight," Spike replied, "are you sure she'll know anything about you that you don't know?"

"Zecora said that the answers I seek are with Princess Luna," Twilight said, "besides, it's better than nothing, right?"

"I suppose you do make a good point." Spike stated.

"Better to go and pick out what she knows than to sit here and continuously wonder about it." Twilight added.

"But, don't you want to tell your friends first, Twilight?" Spike questioned.

Twilight sat and actually took the time to think about that logic. She hasn't seen her friends in a long time and they all think that she has still departed from this world.

_Perhaps we should visit my friends first. _Twilight thought vigorously._ Then again, if we do end up doing that, what are the odds that they'll believe me? What are the odds that they'll recognize me, too? _She glanced at Spike for a short time._ Spike didn't recognize me at first, nor did Lunar. I had to show them my wings and horn for them to believe me. Maybe that's the key to getting them to accept me for what I am now. After all, how many alicorns do they know in Equestria? Better yet, how many alicorns are in Equestria? I'm part of an exclusive population, filled with only five other ponies: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Lunar, and – on a technical standpoint - Queen Chrysalis._

Twilight thought about this for a little while longer and was just about to give Spike an answer, but was cut off when a knock came at the door. Spike looked at Twilight, who looked back at Spike, and they both wondered who it could be and who should answer the door. If it wasn't one of their friends that was at the door, imagine how they could've reacted if the first thing they saw was this furry, tall lycan.

"You answer it, Spike," Twilight suggested, "if it isn't one of our friends, I don't want to cause a commotion about it."

"I see your point, Twilight," Spike replied as he trotted down the stairs to greet whoever it was that was knocking.

Twilight followed him down the stairs, but didn't allow herself to be seen by whoever was at the door by positioning herself near one of the far ends of the room. The knock came once more and Spike quickly answered it to reveal Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Lunar. Twilight's eyes grew wide as she spotted the three, and was even more anxious when they stepped inside. She revealed herself to Rarity and Pinkie Pie and stepped out into the light.

"Rarity," Twilight cried, "Pinkie Pie! It's me, Twilight!"

"Twilight?" They both responded, watching Twilight walk down the stairs and towards them.

"Yes!" assured Twilight, stopping in front of the two.

"But, but you look nothing like her." exclaimed Pinkie.

"And she has been gone for almost two months now!" Added Rarity. "What makes you think that you of all ponies could be her?"

"But it is her, Rarity," Spike defended Twilight, "really, it is."

"Oh, honestly now, Spikey-Wikey," continued Rarity, "what makes you think that this...this...thing could be Twilight?"

"It's okay, ladies," Lunar insisted. He turned towards Twilight. "Why don't you show them?"

Twilight nodded, then removed the fur that was covering her horn and spread out her wings, a sure sign that she was indeed who she was. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were both surprised and shocked and began embracing Twilight with a big hug, embracing and holding their dear friend for the first time in a long time. It was heartwarming and emotional, especially since it was the first time in a long time they've embraced in such a way.

"It is you, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie beamed.

"But, whatever happened to you?" Rarity asked, leaving the topic very broad for open discussion.

Twilight removed herself from both Rarity and Pinkie Pie and stepped next to Spike and Lunar. She sat down next to them and rubbed her body against Spike's claw slowly, replicating what appeared to be him petting her, though Twilight had to manually do it. Rarity and Pinkie Pie took note of this, as did Spike and Lunar, though no one said anything to Twilight about it.

"Umm...what happened to you, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie uncomfortably asked, repeating Rarity's question.

Twilight still remained silent while manually letting Spike pet her body. To Twilight, it felt soothing and calming but to Spike, however, it felt a bit unusual and weird. Since Twilight failed to answer the question that was asked, Spike took it upon himself to answer it for her.

"Uh," Spike coughed, "Twilight is uh...umm..."

"She's what?" An eager Rarity anticipated.

"She's turned into a...uhh..." Spike knew what she turned into, though didn't quite know how he should go about explaining it. He turned to Lunar for guidance.

"Go on, Spike," Pinkie Pie encouraged, "it's okay."

"She's right, Spikey-Wikey," agreed Rarity, "I'm sure that what has happened is easily reversible..."

"I don't know," Lunar answered, eyeing Twilight, "it may be hard to reverse this new curse..."

"What horrible luck Twilight has attracted to herself," Rarity claimed, "first a vampony...now...wh-what exactly is she again?"

"She's a..." Spike gulped for a quick second before answering Rarity's question at long last. "She's a lycan."

"A what?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"A lycan." Spike repeated.

"What's that?" Pinkie Pie asked once more.

"A lycan is-"

"A terrible werewolf!" Rarity interrupted.

"Yeah, exactly." Spike said, pausing for a quick second to think about how Rarity knew that. "How did you know that, Rarity?"

"Lycans are sworn enemies of vamponies, Spike," Rarity informed, "they have never really gotten along with each other..."

"But aren't all the vamponies gone since Twilight was the head vampony and...umm..." Spike never got to finish that question, though it was clear to Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Lunar where exactly that was headed.

"Not necessarily," Rarity spoke.

"Then..." Spike stuttered, "that means..."

"That somepony else is a vampony in place of Twilight." Rarity struck.

"But, who could it be?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well," continued Rarity, "one thing is for sure: it cannot be Rainbow Dash - may she rest in peace."

"Who else could it be?" Lunar wondered.

Twilight began to fully listen in on the conversation, desperately wanting to take part in it. However, the voice inside her head was telling her to chase her tail once again, which she gladly did. The sudden movements scared Spike, sending him flying onto Pinkie Pie's back. This got Pinkie Pie to chuckle and Rarity to smirk a bit. Lunar eyed Twilight and was concerned as to what she was doing.

"Must chase tail." Twilight quietly said.

"Could you explain that, Rarity?" Spike boldly asked.

"Lycans are part wolf," started Rarity, "and since wolves are part of the dog family, lycans have a lot of similar traits to dogs."

"Well that explains it," Lunar stated, staring at Twilight.

"That looks fun!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, brushing Spike off her back and joining Twilight by spinning around in circles, chasing their own respective tail.

"Typical Pinkie Pie, I suppose," Spike said, standing back up and positioning himself next to Rarity.

Rarity calmly smiled, then paid attention towards Spike.

"Who else was a vampony by the time Twilight had..." There was a long silence that filled the remainder of the question that Spike so desperately wanted to ask Rarity, though never finalized it. Rarity, on the other hand, understood completely what Spike was trying to ask.

"That's the thing," Rarity replied, "it could be anypony. Even worse, it could be somepony who was never infected before! That's what I so desperately hate about that infection; you never know which pony is infected until it's too late..."

"We should bring this up with Princess Celestia." Spike suggested.

"Good idea, Spike." Rarity agreed.

"We were actually headed to Canterlot now in order to ask Princess Luna for some more information about lycans before you came here." Spike continued. "If you want, you can join us..."

"I'd be glad to join you, my little Spikey-Wikey..." Rarity responded. _I just hope we don't run into Robert while we are there_. Rarity thought to herself before heading out the door with Pinkie Pie, Spike, Lunar, and Twilight.

* * *

_Not too shabby of a day wandering around Ponyville, to be honest._ Twilight thought to herself.

As a lycan, Twilight has a coat drawn over her body, hiding pretty much all of her features – her fur and her details, more specifically – herself from everyone around town while she, Lunar, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike all traveled to the Ponyville Train Station. Twilight managed to get a few voices inside her head that are telling her to chase her tail one more time and to sniff out certain ponies for some odd reason. She wanted to do these things, though Spike caught on quickly and helped make sure that they didn't happen at all, though that itself proved to be a hard task to complete.

The group of five arrived at the station platform fairly quickly and boarded onto the next train that was headed to Canterlot within about five minutes. The five friends sat down in the last car in front of the caboose and next to the window. They were by themselves in the coach, which was a good thing, seeing how Twilight was still trying to adjust back to the social life and regain some vital socialism and integrity.

The voice inside Twilight's head wanted her to stick her head out the window and allow the rapid wind to flow through her mane and simply "feel alive," to put in other words. However, since these windows were sealed shut, there was absolutely no way for her to open them up and do what the voice wanted her to do.

"You can really say that lycans are part dog, apparently," Spike commented, "can you?"

"Totally!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"To an extent," Rarity added, "what she wishes to do is somewhat cute. I don't care what you say about her, she is simply acting in an adorable fashion."

"At least there's no barking, howling, or growling," Spike continued, "right? That would be annoying to deal with."

"I suppose so," agreed Lunar.

"We should consider ourselves lucky then!" Pinkie Pie replied.

Rarity smiled, though rolled her eyes at the same time. Nobody else seemed to pick up on this, so Rarity decided to simply drop the motion and continue on. Twilight began to motion herself in an up-and-down motion next to Spike, manually letting him pet her body, just like before. Spike felt this and immediately tried ending it.

"Please," Spike begged to Twilight, "can you stop rubbing yourself against my claw...I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable."

"But it feels simply amazing." Twilight answered, slowly stopping the petting.

"Please, Twilight," continued Spike, "for me?"

"Fine..." A dissatisfied Twilight responded, ceasing the manual petting.

Ironic enough, once the petting stopped, the train had arrived inside the Canterlot Train Station and, once the train had come to a full and complete stop, the group of conjoined friends had gotten off the train and started proceeding towards the Canterlot Castle in order to alert both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about Twilight and about the possibility of the vampony infection arising elsewhere. Rarity had started biting her lip because this meant that she may have to come face-to-face with Robert, her ex-husband and, more importantly, an escaped criminal. She felt devastated to hear the news that he was locked up inside the Canterlot dungeons for life and felt that it would be best to end that relationship as quick, easy, and painless as possible. Needless to say, Robert didn't take that too well, though there was nothing he could do to Rarity since he was already locked up for bringing harm to one of Equestria's most important ponies, Princess Luna.

Before long, the group of five had arrived just outside of the Canterlot Castle and were quickly approached by two of the royal guards.

"How may we help you all today?" One of them asked.

"We request to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Lunar answered, "are they available?"

"Might we say what this meeting is regarding?" The other guard asked.

"It is regarding Princess Twilight Sparkle." Lunar replied.

"Just a moment while we check on Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." The two guards responded, turning around and contacting the two regal sisters of Equestria.

"How do you think they'll react once they see you, Twilight?" Spike wondered.

"Probably a bit flustered and confused." Twilight honestly answered.

"How so?" Pinkie Pie questioned.

Twilight answered that by spinning her body around in a brief circle, answering whatever questions Pinkie Pie could have possibly had looming in the back of her head. The two guards suddenly came back out and paid close attention to the five friends as they told them all that it was okay with the two princesses that they could see them.

The guards escorted the group to the doors of the Canterlot Throne Room and slowly opened up the large, heavy, double-wide door using their magic. Inside the throne room stood both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as the group started to slowly enter inside the throne room.

"Prince Lunar, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike..." Princess Celestia exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise this is! What brings you here to Canterlot?"

"And who have you brought?" Princess Luna added, referring to the covered up Twilight.

"That's exactly why we're here, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Lunar replied as he began to reveal Twilight to them.

Whilst removing the coat that was over Twilight, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia began questioning both what Lunar meant and what he was doing. The coat that covered Twilight was removed within seconds, but the results that the group hoped for were a tad mixed, to say the least. A few eyebrows were risen while the two regal sisters gazed at Twilight, though they both couldn't tell just yet that this was Twilight.

"What is that?" Princess Luna semi-sheepishly asked.

"She is Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Rarity answered.

"_That's_ Princess Twilight?" The two sisters asked simultaneously.

"What makes you think that she is Princess Twilight?" Princess Celestia added.

"Twilight," Lunar called, "if you would be so kind as to show them..."

Spike had his eyes shut while Lunar requested that. After a few moments, he didn't hear anything - no fur moving or wings expanding - so he opened his eyes rapidly to find that Twilight was a little further behind them, running around, chasing her tail. Spike blushed immediately and tried dragging Twilight back over towards where he was originally standing, next to Lunar, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Clearing his throat and giving an extremely uncomfortable chuckle, he requested that Twilight show Princess Luna and Princess Celestia that she was indeed herself.

"Sure thing, Spike." She cheerfully responded, moving the fur away from her horn and expanding her wings, showing them for everyone to see.

"See?" Pinkie Pie asked. "It is Twilight! Just a more playful one!"

Upon completing her sentence, Pinkie Pie demonstrated this by chasing her own tail in a playful manner, much like how Twilight did earlier. Twilight's eyes grew wide, so desperately wanting to join Pinkie Pie in chasing her tail, but was being held down by both Lunar and Rarity.

"But...how?" Princess Luna asked.

"What happened to you, Princess Twilight?" Princess Celestia added. "Why do you look like that?"

"It's actually a very logical explanation, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia." Twilight responded. "You see, I am a-"

"You're a lycan," Princess Luna interrupted, "I can tell."

"So it is true then," Twilight continued, "Zecora was right! You do know what I am."

"Of course." Luna replied.

"Do you know anything else that perhaps we don't know then, Princess Luna?" Spike hopefully asked.

"All I know is that lycans are part wolf - werewolf, more specifically - and that they are the sworn enemy of vamponies." Princess Luna explained. "Other than that, I can't really explain much about them."

"That actually brings me to my next item, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia." Rarity chimed.

"And what might that be, Rarity?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Since Twilight originally was the head vampony not too long ago and is now...this...playful lycan," continued Rarity, "that means that somepony else is now the head vampony..."

"That infection has gone away though," Princess Celestia claimed, "hasn't it?"

"I wish it has," Rarity answered, "the only way for that to fully disappear from our societal paths is for somepony to find a cure to it. But, putting that aside from us, the only pony we know for sure who can't be the head vampony is Rainbow Dash - may she rest in peace - but we don't know who it could be. Did you happen to spot anypony acting in a strange fashion, Your Highnesses?"

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both exchanged emotionless looks. They hadn't really thought about noting anyone's different behaviors, so they couldn't tell who the head vampony was. Now, they promised to make it a vital effort to spot any differences, no matter how slight it may be.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Rarity thanked.

"Thank you for bringing that to our attention, Rarity." Princess Celestia remarked.

"Now," Princess Luna continued, "about Princess Twilight..."

"I say we trim her coat a bit," Princess Celestia suggested, "make her appear as if she were a normal pony. What do you think, Princess Luna?"

"It sounds like a terrific idea, my sister," Princess Luna smiled, "but, she won't appear to be a normal pony any longer."

"Oh," Princess Celestia remarked, "and why is that?"

"Take a look at her hooves and you'll see why." Princess Luna answered.

Princess Celestia glanced over at Twilight's hooves, as did Spike, Lunar, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, only to find out that they weren't shaped like hooves anymore. Instead, they were shaped like how the paws on a dog or a wolf are shaped.

"...she has paws now, my sister." finished Princess Luna.

"That may be a problem if somepony really stares at Twilight for an extended period of time..." Rarity claimed.

"My sentiments exactly, Rarity." Princess Luna said.

"So how do we go about that?" Spike wondered.

"You leave that to me, Spike." Rarity confidently spoke.

* * *

Some hours have passed by since Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were reintroduced to Twilight - now as a lycan - thanks to Spike, Lunar, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Through that time, Twilight has undergone some drastic, fairly obvious changes. Her fur has shrunk in length considerably, courtesy of Rarity, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. They have done their best to trim Twilight's coat and make her appear as if she were a normal looking pony - an alicorn, more specifically - though, as best as they can do, they can't change how Twilight's lower half looks.

"That's the best we can do, Twilight," Rarity exclaimed.

"It's certainly a lot better than how I was before." Twilight responded.

"I just wish there was something that we could do to those paws of yours..." Princess Luna added.

"Honestly," continued Twilight, "I don't mind them."

"Really?" Rarity half-sarcastically asked.

"Not at all," answered Twilight. "In fact, they feel a lot more comforting now than as hooves."

"How's that?" Lunar replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"Explain yourself." Rarity requested. "I'm not entirely following you."

"Sure, Rarity," Twilight said, "these paws that I have now are a lot more softer and smoother than hooves."

"So...you prefer them?" asked Spike.

"A lot, actually," answered Twilight.

That statement got a few eyebrows being raised as a response to that answer. Either way, it was Twilight's choice whether or not she liked her paws instead of hooves. Speaking of which, they still needed to be dealt with if she had any chance of becoming a "regular" alicorn.

"How shall we hide them?" Princess Luna questioned.

"Some specially designed shoes could do it." Rarity replied. "But, do you really want to go around for the rest of your life wearing them in public areas, darling?"

"It sound like I don't have a choice." Twilight meekly replied, slowly dazing off and focusing a bit more on her tail.

"That's why I'm giving you one, dear." Rarity said.

"Huh?" Twilight replied, focusing only on her tail, desperately wanting to chase it. "Sure, that...sounds..."

"Uhh, Twilight," Lunar called, "are you all right?"

"Go ahead, Pinkie..." Twilight said slowly.

"I said that, Twilight," Lunar continued, "not Pinkie."

"...two...sounds...nice, Rarity." Twilight stated, still mesmerized by her tail.

"Snap out of it, Twilight!" Spike scolded, grabbing Twilight's face with both of his claws and vigorously shaking it back and forth.

"Huh? What?" A dazed Twilight looked around.

"Rarity asked if you wanted to wear shoes to cover up your paws." Pinkie Pie explained.

"I don't really have much of a choice," Twilight reiterated, "do I?"

"That's why she's giving you one," Princess Celestia smiled.

"...in that case," Twilight continued, "why not? No harm in it, right?"

"Not at all," Rarity buoyantly replied, "but it may take a while since I've never made anything like that for...paws. Only hooves."

"Thank you very much, Rarity," Twilight condoled, "your generosity is simply fantastic."

"It's what friends do for each other, darling." Rarity replied.

That got Twilight to smile very, very brightly. She hasn't smiled like this since Rarity originally married Robert such a long time ago. Nowadays, Robert lays prisoner inside the Canterlot dungeon, serving his time for threatening the life of a princess and many other innocent civilians. It was then - Robert's sentencing - that Rarity divorced him and she has yet to see him since - a predicament she wishes to keep like that.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for helping me out so much." Twilight said. "It means a lot to me that you've all tried and done everything that you could to help make me a normal looking alicorn once more."

"It was our pleasure, Twilight," Princess Celestia replied.

"We did it because we love you, Twilight." Rarity added.

"Not to mention the fun it was too!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Just remember to always get it trimmed every couple of weeks or so," Princess Luna reminded Twilight, "that way it won't grow out that drastically again and you can stay as normal as possible."

"I will, Princess Luna," replied Twilight, "I'm sure Lunar can help remind me as well, right Lunar?"

"I'll do my part in reminding you, Twily," smiled Lunar.

Twilight smiled as well, continuing to address everyone again. "And thank you all for the generosity and even more thanks to you, Princess Luna, for the information on what I've become."

"The pleasure is all mine." Princess Luna said.

"Now you best get going," Princess Celestia added, "reintroduce yourself to your other friends and Ponyville. I'm sure they'll all be glad to see that you're back with us once more."

"I will, Princess Celestia," Twilight said, "thank you."

"No," continued Princess Celestia, "thank you."

With that said, Twilight, Lunar, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all started for the door back to the Canterlot Train Station, until suddenly, Princess Luna requested that Rarity stay a bit longer.

"What for, Princess Luna?" Rarity shockingly asked.

"I need to speak with you in private," Princess Luna requested, "if that doesn't conflict with you in any way."

"But of course," Rarity answered. Turning towards her friends, she bid them adieu and approached Princess Luna.

"My sister," Princess Luna stated, "if you'll excuse us."

"Go right ahead, Princess Luna." Princess Celestia remarked.

Princess Luna climbed down from her throne and approached Rarity. Placing a hoof on her shoulder, she told Rarity to follow her. The two ponies proceeded out of the throne room and started walking quickly down one of the halls. Rarity grew nervous, so she decided to break the silence between her and Princess Luna.

"Is something the matter, Princess Luna?" Rarity asked.

"Not really," Princess Luna responded.

"Then why did you request to see me?"

Princess Luna sighed a bit, "Besides Robert requesting to see you," she started, "I may have a feeling who the new head vampony may be."

"With all due respect, Princess Luna," Rarity started, "but I really wish to not see him now."

"No," responded Princess Luna, "that's not where we're going. I know you don't want to see him now, possibly ever again. I'm taking you to a safe zone so that I can discuss the important matters of who the head vampony might be."

Rarity sighed with relief. She desperately didn't want to see her ex-husband Robert at all. He threatened to destroy her the day he was released from the dungeons, though Rarity knew that that threat would never come to pass since Robert was serving a life sentence in the dungeon.

Princess Luna led the way down one of the long hallways in the castle, stopping just before the final door in the hall. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, she opened the door with her magic and led Rarity inside the room. This room - a room Rarity had never seen before - was as dark as Princess Luna's coat was. The walls were painted a very dark indigo color and featured a lot of features that you would see up in a night sky. Once Rarity entered the room, Princess Luna shut the door slowly so that nobody would hear it and began laying down the important matters.

"This," started Princess Luna, "is my room."

"It's so extravagant," exclaimed Rarity, "I like it."

"Thank you," smiled Princess Luna, "now, let's get right down to it."

"Of course."

"I have a few candidates as to who the new head vampony could be," continued Princess Luna.

"And who might they be?" Rarity asked.

"I have a few ponies in mind," Princess Luna replied, "first on the list is you."

"Why would you assume me first?" Rarity questioned.

"I only do since you used to be a head vampony yourself." Princess Luna explained.

"But I'm not one anymore." Rarity said.

"But the world has a way of bringing out the most weirdest of predicaments." Luna answered. "Second on the list is Robert."

Rarity gripped her lips tightly. She felt an odd sensation when she heard that but determined to leave it be.

"Third is Rainbow Dash," continued Luna.

"But how?" Rarity questioned. "She's...gone."

"Like I said," Luna said, "the world has its way of bringing out the most weirdest of predicaments."

"I suppose so..." Rarity meekly stated.

"Last," Luna continued, "is myself. Though I haven't felt anything weird yet, I shan't be too calm about it. If anything changes, I'll let Princess Celestia know about it immediately; you should do the same."

"I will." Rarity stated.

The two continued talking for a little while longer in private, trying to figure out a possible target on who the new head vampony in Equestria was.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Spike Lunar, and Pinkie Pie were out taking Twilight to go see Applejack and Fluttershy so they could see her once more.

"I wonder what Princess Luna wanted with Rarity." Spike wondered.

"I don't know," Twilight replied, "but it must...have...been..."

Twilight was being mesmerized once again by her tail. Spike noticed this and quickly snapped Twilight out of the trance as they continued walking down the path towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"You really need to learn how to focus, Twilight." Lunar stated, smirking slightly.

Twilight shot a mean look at Lunar, not catching his smirk, and said nothing to him. Deep down, she knew that he was right. She was having a hard time concentrating because of her inability to not be mesmerized by her own furry, bushy tail. She so desperately wanted to chase it, but that wouldn't seem normal since ponies don't chase their tails.

Up ahead in the distance, Spike, Lunar, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight could see Applejack hard at work, bucking some apple trees. It was around this time of year where apple bucking season started, so this was the time to collect every single, juicy, red apple. Of course, this meant that cider season was also rapidly approaching the ponies, something that Rainbow Dash would have enjoyed very, very much. Applejack has promised to set aside one cup of cider in remembrance of Rainbow Dash, claiming that this cup would be hers.

Spike, Lunar, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight stepped onto the property and approached Applejack, who was hard at work at the moment.

"Hey, Applejack!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Afternoon, AJ," Lunar added.

"Howdy, Spike," Applejack replied, "hey Pinkie, Lunar."

Applejack noticed Twilight behind Spike, Lunar, and Pinkie Pie and started approaching her.

"Twilight?" Applejack questioned.

"Hi, Applejack." Twilight said, embracing the farm girl with a hug.

"But...but how?" Applejack wondered, noticing Twilight's different features. "And what in Equestria happened to ya?"

Twilight smiled, "You see, Applejack, I-"

"She's become a lycan!" Pinkie Pie interrupted.

"A what?" Applejack replied.

"A lycan." Twilight answered.

"What in the hay is uh lycan?" Applejack questioned.

"A lycan is sort of like a wolf." Twilight stated.

"She's become one and now shares a bunch of traits with wolves now." Spike added.

"And a bunch of them are silly!" Pinkie Pie claimed. "Like, Twilight likes chasing her tail now!"

"But I do still have a horn and wings, if you're wondering, Applejack." Twilight continued. "You can already see the horn, but here's my wings to show that I am still the same pony as before..."

She spread out her wings and showed them to Applejack. Applejack gasped and embraced Twilight in a hug once more.

"Y'all have no idea how relieved Ah am tah see ya once more, Twilight." Applejack said, trying to fight back some tears.

"I'm sure you're as happy and relieved as I am," Twilight replied, trying to do the exact same.

* * *

It's been such a busy day for Twilight, the lycan-turned-alicorn, as she has been reintroducing herself to society, namely, Ponyville. First up came Applejack, who was fighting back tears as she embraced the royal Princess with a hug. Up next was Fluttershy. As the group of friends started going to Fluttershy's cottage, they met many of the various ponies along the way, reintroducing Twilight to all of them, but not explaining what happened to her. It was best to not tell them how Twilight came to be a lycan or even that she wasn't a true pony any longer.

"This is starting to become all nostalgic memories again." Twilight claimed as they rapidly approached Fluttershy's cottage.

"Whaddya mean, Twi?" Applejack asked.

"It's been so long since I've seen all of this," she continued, "that I'm remembering all of the good times we've had so long ago."

"Yeah," Lunar agreed, "it's somethin' alright."

Twilight smiled as they all crossed the little bridge Fluttershy had and onto her property. Soon enough, they reached the door and Twilight positioned herself behind Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Spike knocked on the door and almost instantly did Fluttershy's pet bunny, Angel, answer the door. Spike scoffed at Angel, but did ask if Fluttershy was home. Angel left the door then and a few moments later, Fluttershy was standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Spike," she started, noticing Applejack and Pinkie Pie behind him, "hey Applejack. Hi, Pinkie Pie. Hello, Lunar."

"How are you doing today, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I'm fine, I guess," answered Fluttershy, "why do you ask, if you don't mind answering?"

"We have a surprise for ya, Fluttershy!" Applejack replied.

"A-A surprise?" Fluttershy squeaked. "I don't really like surprises girls..."

"You'll love this one, Fluttershy!" Lunar claimed.

"Why's that?" Fluttershy skeptically asked.

The others simply smiled as Applejack and Pinkie Pie made way for Twilight, revealing her to Fluttershy. Fluttershy squealed, then gasped, then squealed again. She looked at Lunar, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, asking them if this was Twilight and that they weren't just playing a cruel joke on her.

"It is, Fluttershy," smiled Twilight, "it isn't a joke, it really is me."

"But how?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know," replied Twilight, "but here I am."

Fluttershy smiled brightly in response, then started focusing her attention on Twilight's figures and details, noticing quickly that they had changed since the last time they saw each other.

"What happened to you, Twilight?" Fluttershy wondered.

"You see, Fluttershy," Twilight began, "I am-"

"She's become a lycan, Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie interrupted again.

Fluttershy tilted her head a bit and rose an eyebrow. "A lycan?"

"A lycan is similar to a wolf, Fluttershy." Twilight replied.

"They share the same traits as wolves do as well." Spike added.

"Totally!" Shouted Pinkie Pie. "Like, Twilight likes to chase her tail! It's so super adorable and super amazingly awesomely cute!"

Fluttershy glanced back from Pinkie Pie, whom was demonstrating to Fluttershy how Twilight likes to chase her tail by chasing her own, and over to Twilight. She still seemed a bit flustered, so Applejack stepped up and settled one of her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"It's alright, sugar cube," Applejack said, "Ah di'n't get it either tha first time."

Fluttershy looked from Twilight to Applejack and replied to her.

"It's not that I don't get it or anything," she said, "it's just that...I'm t-t-terrified of lycans..."

That got Twilight to raise her ears and perch them slightly. Casually nearing Fluttershy, Twilight tried to ease her of her fears.

"It's okay, Fluttershy," Twilight started, "you know me. I won't hurt anypony. You don't have to be scared of me because I'm a lycan now."

Twilight held out one of her paws and awaited Fluttershy to do the same with one of her hooves. Fluttershy cowered up a bit, refusing to touch Twilight's paw.

"I know you wouldn't hurt anypony, Twilight," she explained, "but I just don't trust lycans in general. Nothing personal against you; it's just the way I feel."

Twilight, who was hurt on the inside for failing to receive some satisfaction and gratitude from Fluttershy, understood why Fluttershy felt this way. She sought to help attempt to change her mind about how lycans were, no matter how long it would take.

"I am happy to see you back here, Twilight." Fluttershy claimed after some awkward silence settled in.

"As am I, Fluttershy." Twilight smiled back. She turned towards Applejack, wanting to ask her a question. "I noticed," she started, "I haven't seen Rainbow Dash at all since I've come back. Where is she?"

Applejack bit her lip, facing Pinkie Pie in the process. Pinkie Pie was looking up into the clouds, trying to find any kind of distraction quickly. Fluttershy looked down at Spike, who looked back at Twilight with a set of heavy looking eyes. As for Lunar, he was scratching the back of his neck, not making eye contact with anyone at all. Twilight glanced around her, noticing these unusual acts and quickly questioned them all.

"What's the matter, everypony?" She asked.

"Well," began Applejack, "uh...ya see, Twilight..."

"Yes?" Twilight responded.

"Oof..." Applejack replied quietly.

"Umm..." Pinkie Pie coughed. "Rainbow Dash..."

"Yes?" Twilight repeated.

"Twilight," Fluttershy said, "Rainbow Dash...is...uhh..."

"She's?"

"How do we put this...?" Lunar asked softly.

Spike sighed, taking the pressure off of everyone else by explaining to Twilight what happened to Rainbow Dash.

"Twilight," he started, "Rainbow Dash...died."

Twilight gasped, then saw everyone's look when Spike confirmed with her what had happened to Rainbow Dash. She felt very bad for asking and joined with all of her friends as they looked down at the ground in a sad, depressed way.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

_**~Somewhere, far, far away, towards the outskirts of Canterlot~**_

On the ground, there lays the one and only Element of Loyalty. It's been far too long since she's been alive, same as Twilight. Her body has been untouched for the entire time; nobody knows she's even here...they just know that she's gone.

**Oh, the contrary though. She isn't truly gone from Equestria. What do I mean? Well, for one thing, she has passed, I'll give you that. However, not all spirits get an eternal peace kept soul. For Miss Rainbow Dash, her spirit still roams Equestria. What do I mean, you ask? Well, to put it in fairly simple terms, Rainbow Dash is a wandering ghost.**

**This, according to Rainbow Dash, was both awesome and frightening. She loved the fact that she could easily fly through walls now and scare anyone she wanted to, but she felt lonely and misunderstood to everyone. Granted, nobody could see this petrifying ghost, but she was still the same old Rainbow Dash we bronies/pegasisters know today; she's just...changed a bit, that's all.**

**Now, now...what am I supposed to do? Write her back to life randomly? That kind of plot wouldn't make much of a story, now would it? What kind of author do you take me as (kudos to those who read that with Discord's voice)? Would you like to know what exactly Rainbow Dash is doing here? You wouldn't?**

**Hmm...well this is a bit awkward...you don't want to know about Rainbow Dash, though in order for this story to continue, I have to tell you...what to do, what to do? Screw it! Y'know what? I'mma tell ya anyways!**

**Rainbow Dash is currently flying through the air, feeling the wind travel rapidly through her body. There...I told you.**

**Now, now, Derpy...professionalism is key here. Now where were we?**

* * *

"Why am I still here?" Rainbow Dash asked herself. "Where am I?"

Rainbow Dash looked all around and noticed that she was in a secluded area all by herself. She looked down towards the ground and noticed her collapsed - and somewhat maimed - body laying across the ground. She noticed this and held her hooves up to her mouth instinctively and immediately. She started shaking fearfully and began responding to what she was seeing.

"Did...did I do that?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

She looked down at her front hooves and used them to cover up her eyes. Rainbow Dash began mourning over her own loss, a tad alarmed that no tears came from her eyes, though she doesn't know that ghosts don't cry. She shaped fists from her hooves and hurriedly stormed off into the eerie night sky.

She flew off into the distance towards Ponyville, desperately wanting to see her friends. She flapped her wings very hard, but was unable to pull herself off of the ground. Instead, Rainbow Dash simply hovered in the air like any ghost does. How exactly does she fly you ask? Well, why don't you ask King Boo that same question.

Anyways, once Rainbow Dash finally caught a glimpse of Ponyville in the near distance, she sped up a bit and, upon entering the little, run-of-the-mill town, hovered closer to the ground in order to find her friends more easily. She searched left and right, up and down, in and out of every single street and pathway, searching for one of her friends, any of her friends.

Nighttime was upon the citizens of Ponyville and Rainbow Dash gravely assumed that each and every one of her friends were at home, sleeping in their beds. She sighed soundly, voice slightly echoing throughout the air around her.

"Perhaps I should check their homes out." Rainbow Dash suggested to herself.

Since Applejack was her next closest friend, Rainbow Dash decided to check out Sweet Apple Acres first. She wanted answers as to what happened and why she was still roaming Equestria, so she wanted to see if maybe Applejack had those answers, though it appeared to have been a complete long shot. Rainbow Dash hovered towards Sweet Apple Acres as quickly as she could, which resulted in a trip of about three minutes.

Upon arriving at Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash noticed a bright light coming from the barn and some relatively loud music. She quickly wondered what all the commotion was and quickly hovered over into the barn. Looking into it, she saw her friends and gasped.

"What in the...?" She asked, noticing that her friends were having a party.

Rainbow Dash felt a bit hurt. She wanted to know why they were partying since it hasn't been that long of a time since she herself had passed on.

A quick thought had entered into Rainbow Dash's mind, a thought that said that she should haunt this barn. However, before she proceeded with that thought, Rainbow Dash had caught a glimpse of another pony inside the barn. From afar, she could easily see Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Once a few moments more had passed by, Rainbow Dash could see Fluttershy, Lunar, and someone else.

"Who is that?" She wondered, hovering into the barn to get a better glimpse of the unknown pony.

Rainbow Dash hovered in front of the unknown being, wondering just exactly who they were. They weren't a Pegasus, so Rainbow Dash rapidly erased the idea that she'd been replaced, though they did have a horn to go with their purple coat color.

"Her coat..." Rainbow Dash said to herself. "It's longer than the average pony. She can't be just another unicorn or anything."

Without missing a single beat, the "pony" Rainbow Dash was glancing at shot their ears up and quickly looked at Rainbow. This sudden action got both Rainbow Dash to hover back a bit and startled the other ponies. Applejack was the only pony to question what was wrong.

"Uhh, is somethin' the matter?" She asked.

The unknown pony started sniffing in the air. Rainbow Dash, who unknowingly set her hooves on the ground next to Applejack, tilted her head in confusion, as did the others.

"Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Are you alright?"

"Twilight!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, dragging attention towards herself.

Granted, the others couldn't see or hear her, but Twilight could. Twilight motioned her head towards where Rainbow Dash was and quickly approached her, sniffing her heavily. This got Rainbow Dash to hover high up into the air and got Applejack to question her once more.

"Uhh, what are ya doin', Twi?" She asked.

"I smell something here with us." Twilight replied.

"Something like?" Pinkie Pie added.

"Something...dead." answered Twilight.

"D-D-D-Dead?" Fluttershy stammered.

"Where is it, Twilight?" Lunar asked.

Twilight sniffed out for Rainbow Dash a bit longer before taking off towards the skies to fully determine where she was. Rainbow Dash took it upon herself to not move a single muscle and not say a single peep. She thought that maybe she was only detectable when she moved or when she spoke. Twilight, on the other hand, was able to sniff out Rainbow Dash fairly easily and began growling at her.

Rainbow Dash opened the eyes that she had shut and was now staring Twilight dead in the eyes - no pun intended. Twilight stopped growling and gazed into Rainbow Dash's gray lifeless eyes. She gasped, which caused everyone down below the two floating creatures to question what exactly was happening since they themselves couldn't understand it.

"What's up, Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Twilight?" The others added simultaneously.

Twilight stood silent as she gazed into Rainbow Dash's eyes. Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight slowly descended to the ground and finally touched base with it.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" Twilight barely peeped.

"Hi, Twilight." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Is that really you?" Twilight wondered.

"Is what really who?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight shot some discerned looks towards everyone else and explained to them that-

"Rainbow Dash is here!"

"Twilight," Applejack started, stepping up towards her and placing a hoof on her shoulder, "we all want Rainbow Dash to be here with us but the fact of the matter is is that she's long gone..."

"But she's standing here in front of me and right next to you!" Twilight shouted.

"It is true, Applejack," Rainbow Dash added, knowing very well that she would be unable to hear her, "I am still here with you."

"No she's not, Twilight," Pinkie Pie explained at the same time.

"She's right, Twilight," agreed Lunar.

"But she's not!" Twilight claimed. She turned towards Rainbow Dash. "Please," she told her, making it seem like she was talking to the air, "make your presence known to them."

"How?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Who are ya talkin' to, Twi?" Applejack said at the same time.

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight started, answering Applejack's question, "just do something to make your presence known..."

"Fer the last time, Twilight," Applejack huffed, "Rainbow Dash isn't here...she won't be."

"Sorry for this, Twilight..." Rainbow Dash commented.

Twilight was confused. "For what, Rainb-"

Before Twilight could finish her statement, Rainbow Dash immediately jumped into her body and took sole possession over it. Twilight struggled a bit, but was ultimately overpowered by Rainbow Dash and fell under her "power," so to speak.

"Umm," Fluttershy quivered, "is she alright?"

"Twilight?" Spike fearfully asked.

"It's me," Rainbow Dash said, through Twilight's mouth, "Rainbow Dash!"

"R-R-Rainbow?" The five friends trembled.

"But how!?" Lunar immediately questioned.

"You died!" Pinkie Pie added.

"Thanks, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash sarcastically spoke, still trying to get a feel for Twilight's body. She placed one of Twilight's paws on Twilight's horn. "What is this?"

"That's your horn," Applejack answered, "Ah mean...uhh, Twilight's horn..."

"Where is Twilight anyways?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I'm still here!" Twilight shouted, trying desperately to regain control of her body.

"But..." Spike continued. "Rainbow Dash is..."

"Right here!" shouted Rainbow Dash through Twilight's mouth.

"I'm confused..." Fluttershy commented.

"Are Twilight and Rainbow Dash the same...thing now?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash answered.

"Rainbow Dash took over my body!" Twilight screamed, trying once again to gain control over her body once more.

"I'll leave your body as soon as I finish here, Twilight," promised Rainbow Dash.

"You'd better!" Twilight snapped. "I don't like this one bit!"

"Nor do I," Rainbow Dash added, "I'll make this as quick and easy as possible for the both of us."

With that said, Rainbow Dash began explaining to everyone else the story of what happened to her after her death, making sure to not miss a single detail.

* * *

"...and that's pretty much all there is to tell you."

Rainbow Dash, who was still in control of Twilight's body, finished up telling her story to the others. It had made little to no sense, but it was true to the fullest - she was standing there, courtesy of Twilight - sort of - in front of everyone. Twilight, on the other hand, was getting a little impatient with the amount of time Rainbow Dash was taking explaining her bizarre story. She tried pushing Rainbow Dash out of control of her body, though obviously had a hard time doing so.

"How much longer, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

"Until I figure out what exactly you are," Rainbow Dash joked, "I may still be with you."

The other ponies laughed at Rainbow Dash's remark. They were reminded of her somewhat crude sense of humor - a humor they have truly missed since her "sudden" departure - though Twilight was beginning to feel a tad claustrophobic.

"Twilight," Rainbow Dash began, taking control of Twilight's body and looking at it herself, "what exactly are we?"

"'We'?" Twilight chuckled. "You mean 'what have I become'?"

"Sure," Rainbow Dash answered, "whatever you say."

This little back-and-forth conversation between two creatures was beginning to get amusing to the other ponies. Pinkie Pie started giggling and bursted out laughing at the one-pony show that was going on before her.

"This is getting very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very funny and very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very interesting!" Pinkie Pie said.

"We get it, Pinkie," Twilight and Rainbow Dash simultaneously answered.

"Just saying it~!" Pinkie Pie sang.

"Well," Twilight rang, shifting her focus from Pinkie Pie to Rainbow Dash, "how much longer are you planning to be with me?"

"Until I figure out what exactly you are." answered Rainbow Dash.

"If I tell you," continued Twilight, "will you please leave my body?"

"I'd take a consideration on it." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well," Twilight replied, "I am a lycan, which explains why I no longer have hooves and why my fur is a bit longer than the average pony's."

"A lycan?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"Yes, Rainbow," Twilight huffed, "a lycan."

"What in the name of Celestia is a lycan?" Rainbow Dash laughed.

"A lycan is a terrible werewolf." Twilight spoke.

"The difference between them and an actual werewolf is that somepony infected with a lycan disease can control themselves, unlike werewolves." Lunar added.

"So, what exactly is different about you, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash curiously asked.

"Well, Rainbow," smiled Twilight, "as you can see, I have paws now instead of hooves."

"What are paws?" Rainbow Dash boldly asked, looking down at a set of them.

"Paws are kind of like soft coated hooves." Twilight answered.

"That's cool," Rainbow Dash replied, "I guess...what else is different?"

"She's a bit taller, as you can...feel?" Spike sort of confidently responded.

"I can see that clearly." Rainbow Dash said. "What else?"

"Must you know every single detail about me, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight questioned.

"Must you like when I am a part of you, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That didn't even make any sense, Rainbow." Twilight said.

"You don't make sense!" Rainbow Dash shot back.

"But...ugh!" Twilight screamed.

"Ooh," Rainbow Dash teased, "is somepony getting angry?"

"Technically, it's no longer somepony since I'm no longer a pony," Twilight corrected.

"Then what would it be, hmm?" Spike asked.

"I guess it would be somelycan," Twilight stated, "though I'm not too sure about that."

"Somelycan?" Spike repeated. "It seems legitimate...kind of."

"It does," agreed Twilight.

"Hello?" Rainbow Dash butted in. "Still want to know what is different here!"

"Oh, right," Twilight studdered, "umm...other...than that, umm...nothing else, really..."

"...really?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Really, Rainbow," Twilight answered, "now could you please kindly get out of my body!?"

"***sigh*** Fine!" Rainbow Dash huffed.

Rainbow Dash struggled mightily to phase out of Twilight's body. Something on the inside of Twilight's body forbade that from happening, however. Rainbow Dash tried her ultimate best to get out of Twilight, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, she just sighed and began sulking about it.

"What's the problem, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You want me out of you, but you're not letting me go!"

"I'm not doing anything, Rainbow," Twilight admitted, "maybe you're not trying hard enough."

"How hard do you want me to try!?" snapped Rainbow Dash. "I'm trying my best to get out, but I'm still here!"

Pinkie Pie watched on, as did the other ponies, plus Spike. Pinkie Pie began to chuckle as she watched over this one-being show.

"What's so funny, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash rudely asked.

"It's funny because I'm getting the feeling that you two are stuck together like gum in a mane is!" Pinkie Pie smiled.

This statement got Rainbow Dash and Twilight to both gasp at the same time, which resulted in an unusual sound being released from Twilight's body.

"We're STUCK!?" Twilight shouted.

"Together!?" added Rainbow Dash.

Twilight gulped at the idea of being stuck together with Rainbow Dash. She trembled slightly, as did Rainbow Dash, who was thinking the same exact thing as Twilight was thinking.

"Don't tell me that Rainbow Dash is going to be a part of me forever!" Twilight denied to herself. "As much as I love her _as a friend_, I don't think I can take her being with me 24/7...no offense, Dash."

"Gee, thanks," Rainbow Dash replied lowly.

Twilight rolled her eyes, which Rainbow Dash sensed and began to scold her about it. An inner fight was on the brink of breaking out before the other ponies managed to slightly calm down the two supernatural beings. Tensions were still boiling hot while Twilight and Rainbow Dash were one with each other, but the mood and the setting managed to keep the two friends at base, as did their friends. Once tensions had cooled down a bit, Twilight requested that somebody look for a book about supernatural events happening. Hopefully, there would be something on how to cope with a ghost inside the body of a lycan, but it wasn't a very likely topic. Pinkie Pie, randomly running out of the barn and back in within seconds, tossed over a book to Twilight and smiled brightly.

"Found it!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Page 142!"

She threw the book that the description was in over towards Twilight and bounced up and down in place out of joy. Applejack looked over towards Pinkie Pie and immediately was surprised yet again by Pinkie Pie's physics.

"How'd ya do that?"

Pinkie Pie kept her smile while Twilight used her magic to open up the book to page 142. Once the page was fully in front of Twilight, she skimmed through the page to look for the part about a ghost taking host in a lycan's body.

"Here it is," Twilight started.

"Read it to them." Rainbow Dash boldly responded.

"What's it say, Twilight?" The others asked.

"According to this book," continued Twilight, "if the ghost of a dead pony takes host inside the body of either a living or a dead lycan, then they are trapped inside said body until the host dies."

"Oh no..." Rainbow Dash meekly said, cutting Twilight off.

"Wait," Twilight said, "there's more!"

"What else does it say, Twilight?" Lunar asked.

"Once the host has died," Twilight read, "then the roles will reverse and the ghost gains control over the body and the lycan becomes the ghost. This process has been known to continue for either an entire eternity or..."

"Or what?" Everyone eagerly asked.

"I can't make out the rest of the sentence." Twilight claimed. "It's too faded for me to see it."

"It's too faded for me as well." added Rainbow Dash.

"So lemme get this straight." Applejack spoke. "The two o' ya are stuck together ferevah?"

"Looks like it, Applejack..." Twilight glumly answered.

"Then that means that I am an immortal!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Technically speaking, Dash," Twilight said, "you're not an immortal. Immortals are living things and beings that live forever. You, on the other...paw, hoof, claw, whatever, are a dead ghost. There is no way you could ever be classified as an immortal."

"Must you ruin my happiness?" Rainbow Dash boldly asked.

Twilight smiled, "How's a 'Daring Do' book sound to you?"

"Sounds great right about now!" Dash admitted. "It's been a long time since I last read one."

"So that's just it then, huh?" Lunar wondered.

"Whatever do you mean, Lunar?" Rarity asked.

"I mean, that's it with Twilight and Rainbow Dash then," Lunar commented, "isn't it?"

"I guess so, Luny." Twilight answered.

"Is that a problem, Lunar?" Rainbow Dash affectionately asked.

"Not really," Lunar replied, telling them a small lie, "it's just that, you know, since there's two of you inside the same body, I was wondering...nah, know what? It's a stupid idea...You'd probably laugh at it."

"No," Fluttershy comforted, "go on. We won't laugh."

"Yeah," Twilight added.

"C'mon," Rainbow Dash spoke, "tell us."

"Oh, all right..." Lunar stated, caving in to peer pressure. "I was wondering if we should call you Twidash now."

"Twidash?" Twilight and Rainbow Dash both asked at the same time, resulting in a sort of demonic voice being released from their innards, causing Fluttershy to cower up next to a segregated corner.

"Yeah," Spike laughed, pointing at Twilight and Rainbow Dash. "Twidash. Y'know, a mix of Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Twilight, Dash, Twidash!"

"Whaddya think?" Lunar smirked.

"It sounds odd, darling." commented Rarity.

"It's sounds weird." Twilight added.

"It sounds awesome!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"You can't be serious, Dash," Twilight barked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, for one thing," Twilight continued, "they could tell our voices apart from each other. I don't think they need to merge our names into one. What do you all think?"

"It sounds fun!" Pinkie Pie said.

"It's fine...I guess..." Fluttershy quietly commented.

"Ah say we don't merge your names fer the sake of knowin' the difference between them two." Applejack suggested.

"I'll have to agree with Applejack on this one, darling." Rarity added.

"I'd have to as well," Twilight stated, "it seems like a nice gesture and all - merging our names - but the fact of the matter is is that we are two different and unique things whose names deserved to stay separated."

"Aw, lighten up, wolfy!" Rainbow Dash said. "I say we change and merge our names together."

"And I say that we keep the names separated for friendship purposes." Twilight politely replied.

"How about we let our friends decide for us?" Rainbow Dash challenged.

Twilight huffed and sighed. "All right...if you insist on doing so..."

"Sweet!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Alright, everypony! Line up!"

"Why?" Twilight asked, shaking her head slowly. "They can simply answer us from the locations they are currently in now. Why do they need to line up for you?"

"It makes it easier to count, Twi," answered Rainbow Dash.

"But there are legitimately only six of them here." Twilight commented.

Rainbow Dash grunted a bit, dropping the subject and deciding that it best be to not start an argument with Twilight Sparkle, whether she is a lycan or a regular pony. With magic such as Twilight's, this seemed like the best decision to make.

"Anyways," continued Rainbow Dash, "how many of you think we should be called Twidash?"

Spike and Pinkie Pie raised their claw and hoof in the air respectively. As for Lunar, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy, they all had kept quiet and looked on.

"So with two of them thinking we should change our name," Rainbow Dash said, "it's official!"

"Hold on a minute, Dash," Twilight spoke, "there's six of them and two of them don't make the majority. If two of them say that we should change our name while the others say that we shouldn't, then that means it's a majority rule going against the decision. Two out of six does not make a majority ruling."

"Ugh!" Rainbow Dash grunted. "Why do ya always have to ruin my fun, Twilight?"

"I don't always ruin your fun, Rainbow," Twilight stated, "I'm just being a smart cookie right now."

"You mean 'egg head...'" Rainbow Dash quietly responded.

"I heard that, you know," Twilight said.

"Whatever," Rainbow dash commented, "you are being one and you know it!"

"Then that would mean that you're being one as well," Twilight smiled, "since we are in the same body and stuff."

"Now, now, you two," Applejack started, "y'all need to calm down."

"Applejack's right," Rarity added, "this type of bickering and arguing won't get us anywhere."

"It's only going to set us further back than where we were at the start." Lunar stated.

"Right," Pinkie Pie said, "plus you two are like bestest friends. You shouldn't be arguing with each other, right Fluttershy?"

"No..." Fluttershy meekly peeped. "I mean, uhh...yes...I mean...*squeak*"

"They're right, Rainbow Dash," Twilight agreed.

"They are?" questioned Rainbow Dash.

"Yes," continued Twilight, "we are very good friends and we shouldn't argue, especially if it's over our name."

"I suppose you're right, Twilight," Rainbow Dash agreed, "this is something that shouldn't cause a ruckus or anything."

"I'm sorry for arguing, Rainbow Dash," Twilight apologized.

"I am, too..." Rainbow Dash added.

"Friends?" Twilight asked.

"Friends." Rainbow Dash declared.

"Whew wee," Applejack happily shouted, "glad we got that taken care o'!"

"Same here," Twilight stated, "now we just have to get used to being one in each other now. Sound good, Rainbow Dash?"

"Sounds pretty awesome to me, Twi," Rainbow Dash answered.

"Good," continued Twilight, "then let's get started then, shall we?"

"Let's." agreed Rainbow Dash.

"How shall you go about it, you two?" Lunar asked.

"I guess we should see who has control of what, wouldn't you say Dash?" Twilight suggested.

"Sounds good." Rainbow Dash commented.

"All right then," Twilight continued, "go on and try to move my...our paws, Rainbow."

"Okay..." Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Can ya move 'em, Rainbow?" Applejack wondered.

"I'm trying," Rainbow dash answered, "give me a second...I haven't done this in a while, remember?"

"Take as much time as you need, Rainbow." Twilight told her.

"Thank you, Twilight." Rainbow Dash obliged.

"No problem, Rainbow." Twilight smiled.

Some time passed quickly and Rainbow Dash seemed to be having a hard time trying to gain control of something within the body. She had no control over their paws and she had no control over the moving of the body either.

"Nothing, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie Pie asked, "really!?"

"Well," Rainbow Dash started, "nothing yet...but there is one more thing I haven't tried just yet..."

"And what in tarnation would that be?" Applejack questioned.

"The wings!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Can ya do anythin' wit 'em, Rainbow?" Applejack continued.

"There's only one way to find out!" Twilight said. "Flap, Rainbow. Flap like you've never flapped before."

Rainbow Dash smiled and tried her best to move the wings. She began to sweat a bit while trying to do so, but eventually, Rainbow Dash was able to move the wings on the body and, soon enough, the two supernatural creatures began flying through the air!

"I guess that answers that then." Twilight smiled.

"Aww yeah!" Rainbow Dash happily shouted. "Feels just like old times!"

"I'm sure it does, Dash." Twilight replied, enjoying the ride through the magnificent air.

* * *

_**~Elsewhere in Equestria~**_

"Nearing completion...ooh, boy, this is going to be such a delight to see in action!"

**Equestria isn't always a place for fun and games, you know. Allow me to provide an example of how this is true just by using one word - or in this case, one name: Discord.**

**But even the master of chaos isn't the one responsible for what this thing is doing on the furthest most eastern portion of Equestria, right near the border.**

**This thing - a disfigured unicorn - is currently constructing a type of war machine that he will use for his advantage as he attempts to take over Equestria fully. Now, note how I said "disfigured." You're probably asking yourself right now, "What makes him disfigured," am I not right?**

**Skipping the usual, two-bit, one party conversation, allow me to explain. This unicorn has a sharp horn compared to anyone else. In addition to his unusually sharp horn, this unicorn was born with - hold your breath and bare with me for a second - one wing. You read right. This unicorn has one wing attached to his body. He also has two hooves that are longer than the others. Putting it in perspective, he takes longer strides when walking on his back right hoof and his front left hoof. He has a lazy eye, courtesy of an accident he endured at such a young age, and has no friends, family, or loved ones around him to help support him during these difficult times.**

**This war machine this unicorn is building - a robotic pony, more specifically - is nearing completion and simply needs one extra item. And that item is magic; magic from a live pony to carry out the gift of life in this robotic android.**

"Once I supply the magic to this robot," the unicorn stated, "I, Vladimir Von Puft, will be the most powerful and most unstoppable pony that ever existed!"

**Let's be realists here for a moment. How hard could this possibly be to stop? Better yet, how hard could it be to defend against one pony and a machine? When you go around with magic or wings attached to your body here in Equestria (I guess it sucks to be an Earth pony in this scenario), these two items are like an infinite ammunition wave against one feeble old, disfigured pony, right?**

Quickly moving on with his plan, Vladimir positioned himself in front of the robot he built and touched its head with his horn, releasing some of his magic onto the robot. The magic, dark and sinister, much like King Sombra's magic, traveled around the robot's body and brought it to life. This robot had no eyes, just scanners and radars so it could triangulate the positions of everyone and everything that was within a fifteen yard radius. The robot scanned the area, locating Vladimir in a semi-beat.

Vladimir jumped up with joy as the robot followed his movement. He introduced himself to the robot and told him what he wanted to do.

"I am Vladimir Von Puft!" He said. "It has been my dream ever since I was a younger colt to extract my revenge on the society that has shunned me for so long! With you...I can make it all a reality."

"BZzT..." The robot squirmed. "REVENGE EXTRACTION ARROGANT!"

"You're a quick learner," Vladimir praised, "aren't you...umm...I think I'll call you...M19..."

"BZzT..." M19 sparked. "I AM M19...TOTAL ANNIHILATION OF POPULATION A MUST!"

Vladimir let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Heh heh, yeah, let's take it easy for a quick sec...I told you revenge but death is just taking it a bit too far..."

M19 simply gazed at Vladimir, who placed a hoof around the neck of M19. M19 took this as a threat and immediately placed Vladimir in a strong headlock position, but not enough to do any catastrophic damage to his cranium. Vladimir eventually managed to calm down the powerful robot and even convinced it to release him.

"You're a strong one, aren't you?" Vladimir asked, though he knew that answer in more than one way.

"I ARE WHAT I AM!" M19 replied.

"You mean, 'I am what I am,'" Vladimir corrected.

"BZzT!"

"Anyway," Vladimir continued, "come. We have work that needs to be done and first up on that list: Canterlot. Now that the Elements of Harmony have two missing links, this should be relatively easy...Come along M19."

"COMING!" M19 replied.

And with that being said, Vladimir, alongside his creation, M19, started making their way to their destination located at the heart of Canterlot.

* * *

_**~Back in Ponyville~**_

"It's getting rather late everypony." Rarity claimed, looking out the window feebly. "I think I'll call it a night and get some shut eye. I have a lot of things that simply must be attended to in the morning."

"Right there wit ya, Rare," Applejack added, "those apples sure aren' gonna buck themselves tomorrah."

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie chimed, "and the Cakes told me that they need extra extra help tomorrow!"

"You're all right," Twilight said, "it is getting a bit late. I think I'm going to hit the hay. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Good night, everypony!" Rainbow Dash shouted as Twilight started to leave Applejack's barn.

"Good night, Twilight," they all replied back, "good night, Rainbow Dash."

"I must be going as well," Rarity claimed once more, "have a good night everypony."

"Good night, Rarity!" The others smiled as Rarity left the barn as well, heading on in the opposite direction as Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Lunar, and Spike were.

The night was "young," so to speak. Granted, the time was nearly midnight, most likely passed that actually, but to Rarity, it seemed like the night was merely day a few moments ago. It was this kind of night where Rarity missed being a vampony and missed the usual blood sucking with her ex-husband, Robert, the dreaded and psychotic emerald colored unicorn.

Being a vampony did have its advantages under certain circumstances. For example, vamponies were immune to pain and were immortalized for an eternity - unless they stood out in the sun for too long. If that were to happen to a vampony, the possibility of them dying grew until they collapsed from sun intake.

Rarity missed the life of a vampony desperately and loathed at the new head vampony. True, she tried to play it off and act as if she had no idea who the new head vampony was, but deep down, Rarity knew; she knew it very, very well, truthfully. In fact, she knew so well that the pony who was the new head was a relatively close pony to Rarity. They actually held a spot deep inside Rarity's somewhat torn heart.

The Carousel Boutique was rapidly approaching Rarity as she walked mindlessly through the night. She stepped onto her property and quickly used her magic to open up the door to her home and business shop, a task that Robert always performed for Rarity when they were a happily married couple and he wasn't a corrupted senile villain.

Inside the Boutique, the lights were still on, courtesy of Sweetie Belle. Rarity wasn't surprised that Sweetie Belle was still wide awake at this time and actually accepted her younger sister's new change to her life.

* * *

**Oh, have you not heard?**

**A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word, A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word, A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word.**

**Sorry, but I had to put that in there. But, in all seriousness, have you really not found out about it? I must say that it is truly shocking, to say the least. I mean, if you are too nervous to hear about it, that's fine. I'll stop the story right here and work on another one.**

**What's that? You want me to tell you? Are you sure?**

**You are? Well, don't say I didn't warn ya!**

**The reason Rarity accepted her younger sister's new lifestyle and the reason why she loathed about it was because Sweetie Belle had become the new head vampony. I know, weird right?**

**I'll just let that sink in for a while...**

**All good? Good, then on with the story!**

* * *

"Hi, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle smiled, looking back at the clock that was overhead. "You're home early."

"Actually, Sweetie Belle," Rarity started, "it's early for you, but it's late for me."

"Twelve-thirty in the morning isn't late at all..." Sweetie Belle teased, knowing how tired her older sister - the Element of Generosity - was now.

"Ha, ha, Sweetie Belle," Rarity sarcastically replied, "have you had your daily cup of blood yet?"

"Just finished it, Rarity." Sweetie Belle said.

"I can see that." Rarity answered, pointing a hoof towards her younger sister's lower lip.

Sweetie Belle gasped, then, when Rarity spawned a mirror in front of her, used one of her hooves to wipe off the red blood stain that was in the position Rarity had pointed to earlier. She blushed a bit, as Rarity smiled and magically made the mirror disappear.

"You're a special filly, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, walking over to her younger sister, "you know that?"

"Why's that?" Sweetie Belle questioned.

"Well, for one thing," continued Rarity, "now you're in charge of how you act and what you do with your infection. I'm both scared for you and happy for you at the same time."

"Why?"

"I'm scared because I don't know what you'll do with the vampony infection or how you'll act," Rarity sighed, "but I'm happy for you because you got what you've always wanted - to be a vampony."

Sweetie Belle's smile quickly faded away into a frown. Rarity noticed this fairly quickly and decided to confront what was troubling her younger, now-immortal sister, Sweetie Belle.

"What's the matter, Sweetie Belle?" A concerned Rarity asked her frowning younger sister.

"It's just that..." Sweetie Belle started, unable to paste together the words she wanted to use in a sentence she wanted to say them in.

"Yes," continued Rarity, "go on..."

Sweetie Belle sighed a bit, not loud enough for Rarity to hear it, though it was a noticeable motion. "I've always wanted to be a vampony with you, Rarity. Now that you're no longer a vampony anymore, it doesn't feel the same."

"Are you...?" Rarity started, trying to paste together certain types of words to proceed with asking a question, much like her younger sister moments ago.

"If it isn't too much trouble, Rarity." Sweetie Belle replied.

Rarity thought about Sweetie Belle's request and even concerned for it. She knew what Sweetie Belle was asking – frankly, it was pretty obvious – but she wasn't too sure if it was the right thing to do – to proceed with it, that is.

"It's okay if you don't want to," Sweetie Belle added, "I will respect your decision no matter what."

"It isn't just that, Sweetie Belle," Rarity responded.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I said okay to it," continued Rarity, "I'm not sure if I'll act the same like last time."

Sweetie Belle looked down out of discouragement. "Oh, okay," she sighed, "if that's what you want, I'm...happy for you."

Rarity frowned slowly. She hated seeing her sister get down like this and decided to do something about it. After all, this is the Element of Generosity we're talking about here. Surely she has to be somewhat generous to her younger sister, right? Looking at Sweetie Belle, Rarity placed one of her hooves under her chin and rose it so that Sweetie Belle and Rarity were looking at each other in the eye.

"...although, I suppose it couldn't hurt to have some fun again." Rarity falsely smiled, something Sweetie Belle could never really tell.

"Really?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

Rarity nodded in response. "As long as you promise to keep this little secret between you and I, Sweetie Belle."

"I promise, Rarity." Sweetie Belle replied.

"I'm going to need a Pinkie Pie promise, little sis." Rarity stated.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." recited Sweetie Belle.

"That's more like it." Rarity smiled, showing a real, bright smile this time around to her younger sister.

"Thank you, Rarity," Sweetie Belle replied, "you have no idea how much this means to me."

"I believe I do," Rarity answered, stroking her younger sister's multi-colored mane slowly. Inside her thoughts, however, was a different story. _But you have no idea what this will mean to me..._

"This means a lot to me." Sweetie Belle admitted, though Rarity was quite alert of that.

Rarity responded with a smile. "Now, do you remember how I showed you?"

"I think so." Sweetie Belle softly answered.

"Don't worry about it," Rarity laughed, "I'll show you again." She positioned herself around Sweetie Belle's neck and gently put her teeth on the area that was similar to the area Sweetie Belle would've had to bite on to infect Rarity. "Right around there," Rarity continued, "then gently suck up some blood, about three seconds of sucking up blood should do it." Rarity then pulled herself away from Sweetie Belle's neck.

Sweetie Belle began to position herself around the area Rarity had just showed her. She hesitated a bit, wondering if she should proceed with what she was about to do permanently.

"What's the matter, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked.

"Are you sure you want me to do this, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle wondered.

"I'm positively sure." Rarity lied. She only wanted to do this so that her younger sister would be happy with her. That, plus the immortality.

"Alright then." Sweetie Belle replied, beginning to drive her teeth into the flesh of her older sister.

Sweetie Belle drove and dug her teeth down deep into Rarity's skin and began to suck out some blood. Throughout this time, Rarity was cringing. It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences, but that was mainly because Sweetie Belle was still a novice at infecting other ponies, likely because she was being forced to keep her infection to herself by Rarity.

Moments have passed and by the time Sweetie Belle had removed her sharp fangs from Rarity's neck, Rarity had started feeling some of the notable changes begin to happen to her body. She felt her canine teeth extend themselves to sharp fangs once more and felt her height increase slightly. The process was slow, but eventually they stopped - the transformation, that is.

"How do you feel, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle feebly asked.

"Powerful." Rarity replied. "Powerful and happy."

Once the transformation completed itself, Rarity magically spawned a mirror in front of her, using her magic, so that she could take a look at the details of her body. She did indeed grow a few inches, probably matching Twilight's height as an alicorn now, which may raise some questions in the long run, and saw that her eye color was once again red, matching her younger sister's eye colors.

"Thank you, Rarity," Sweetie Belle replied as Rarity made the mirror disappear, "this really means a lot to me."

"You're quite welcome, Sweetie Belle." Rarity smiled.

The two sisters smiled more at each other for some time before they opted to get some sleep, or at least attempt to get some sleep. Rarity began thinking in the back of her mind if this was the right choice, but she dismissed those thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning rapidly approached the ponies within Ponyville within a few hours. By the time dawn had arrived, some of the ponies had already gotten up and worked their ways out of bed and into this morning. Twilight - in accompany with Rainbow Dash – Lunar, and Rarity, along with a very, very tired Sweetie Belle, were among some of the ponies that had awoken and were ready for any kinds of adventures that lay ahead of them for today. Both creatures, with nothing else to really do for the next few hours or so, decided to bask in the glory of this warm Tuesday morning by taking a walk through the town to start their days respectively. Neither one knew exactly what the other was doing, which, in a sense, would be weird if they did know.

Twilight was the first to notice Rarity out and about, mainly since Rainbow Dash was still asleep. Alongside Lunar, the royal couple began to approach Rarity. Twilight, with wolf instincts kicking in, tried running over to her friend, but slowed herself down, trotting alongside Rarity and joining her in this beautiful, picture perfect morning.

"Good morning, Rarity!" Twilight happily obliged from behind.

"Hello there, Rarity." Lunar smiled.

Startled, Rarity turned around and "happily" greeted Twilight and Lunar back. "Good morning, Twilight, Lunar." She paused slightly, then remembered last night. "Oh, and good morning to you, Rainbow Dash."

"Oh, she's still asleep." Twilight told Rarity.

"How does that one work?" Rarity questioned.

"What do you mean?" replied Twilight.

"How does it work if you're awake and she's asleep?" Rarity made clear.

"Oh," laughed Twilight, "she doesn't control anything but my wings. My guess is that if something hits my wings, only then will she wake up. I don't even think she can hear us talking right now."

"Well, that's peculiar." Rarity admitted, pulling her head away as she felt her canine teeth begin to extend themselves.

"Is something the matter, Rarity?" Lunar immediately asked, driven by the concern of not only his subject, but a close friend.

"No, nothing is the matter, Lunar," Rarity lied.

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked, running over to the other side of Rarity.

"Perfectly sure, darling." Rarity answered, turning her head the other way to face Lunar now.

"Alright," Twilight slowly said, "if you say so."

"You know you can tell us anything, right Rarity?" Lunar advised.

"I know, darling." Rarity replied.

The group continued walking in the morning air for a few moments longer before Rainbow Dash had started to wake up.

"Ahh...what an amazing dream I had!" Rainbow Dash stated as she began to wake up. "Mornin' Twilight, Lunar." She noticed Rarity next. "Hey, Rarity."

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, still having her head faced the other way.

"Good morning, Dash," Twilight added.

"Sleep good?" Lunar smirked.

"Oh, it was awesome!" Rainbow Dash happily replied.

"Wow," Rarity uncomfortably chuckled, "would you simply look at the time...I'm desperately so sorry, but I must go and...finish up some of my clients' orders. I'll catch up with you both later. Bye!"

Before the others could reply back with a goodbye themselves, Rarity had already run off and towards her home. This left Twilight, Lunar, and Rainbow Dash in a daze, wondering what was going on with Rarity.

"She wasn't like that a few moments ago," claimed Lunar, "do you think something could be wrong?"

"I dunno," Rainbow Dash admitted, "but shouldn't we go check ourselves?"

"I'm waiting for you to fly us over there." Twilight said.

"I just woke up there, Twi," Rainbow Dash replied, "ya gotta give me at least some time before I can fly with ease!"

"Sorry," Twilight responded, "I kinda forgot about that..."

"It's okay," Rainbow Dash told Twilight, "now let's go!"

"Wait for me, ladies!" Lunar added, stretching out his wings.

With that said, Twilight began to run after Rarity while Lunar flew after her. They were hoping to find out and uncover what exactly was the matter with Rarity, making her act irrationally this morning. The two mythological beings shortly arrived at the Carousel Boutique thereafter, as did Lunar. They made it perfectly clear to each other as to be as undetectable and as quiet as possible. The last thing they wanted was to let Rarity know they were here spying on her. Twilight located a window and positioned herself next to it, obtaining the perfect view of Rarity, while Lunar was on lookout, just in case Sweetie Belle or someone else were to show up.

* * *

"This is simply awful..." Rarity claimed.

Rarity was looking at herself through a mirror and was referring to her body and how she now appeared. Her fangs have grown themselves outward and appeared as if they refused to retract themselves back to a normal position. What was really astonishing was that her eyes were that of two different colors as well! There was the casual, normal, moderate azure color in the left eye and, in the right eye, the dreadful, bloody, demonic red eye. This little tidbit brought tears to Rarity's eyes as she began sobbing to herself.

"This is simply awful..." Rarity repeated. "I cannot control myself..."

Suddenly, Rarity began to feel a little growth spurt in addition to her few, yet notable, changes. She looked into the mirror once more and now appeared to be even taller than Twilight was, though not as tall as Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, or Lunar. If there was a happy middle between Twilight's height and Luna's, Cadance's, or Lunar's height - which there was - Rarity was now that happy middle - though it was as far from happy as anything.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked, trotting down the stairs relatively quickly.

Rarity took this time to wipe the tears clean from her eyes and spun around relatively quickly. She noticed Sweetie Belle standing before her, whom noticed the changes that were happening to Rarity as well.

"Help me." Rarity requested before collapsing on the ground.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shrieked.

The onlooking Twilight, Lunar, and Rainbow Dash were also concerned. Without any sort of hesitation, the three rushed into Rarity's home - startling Sweetie Belle in the process - desperately wanting to help out their fallen friend.

"She needs help now!" Twilight protested.

"But what do we do?" Sweetie Belle cried.

"Is she breathing?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"Who said that?" wondered Sweetie Belle.

"No time for explanations," Lunar spoke, "check to see if she's breathing."

Sweetie Belle rushed next to her fallen sister and placed a hoof on her chest. It was moving very slightly, signifying that Rarity was breathing, but by the looks of it, it appeared to be slowing down with each passing second.

"She's breathing!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "But it's slowing down."

"We need to get her help now!" Lunar shouted, using his magic to help carry Rarity.

"Where are we going?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"To the hospital," Twilight barked, "where else?"

"But look at us," Rainbow Dash protested, "what'll the other ponies think if they see us like this?"

"Leave it be," Twilight responded, "Rarity's health is more important than trying to appear as a normal pony."

"Though we both know that you are far from that, lycan or not." Rainbow Dash said under her breath.

Twilight helped Lunar carry Rarity over towards the Ponyville Hospital, rushing over there as fast as they could all go. In accompany with Sweetie Belle, who had begun learning to carry little things with her magic recently, trying to help carry Rarity with Twilight and Lunar, the four creatures arrived at the hospital in no time. They rushed inside and immediately requested to see a doctor.

"May I ask what for?" The receptionist pony asked.

"There's no time for explaining!" Twilight replied. "As Princess, I order immediate attention given to this pony!"

"'Princess'?" The receptionist laughed. "You look nothing like Princess Twilight. You don't even look like a pony!"

"Please," Sweetie Belle cried, "she needs help...she needs it now."

"I'll see what I can do for you, little filly." The receptionist told Sweetie Belle. "Paging Doctor Whooves. Paging Doctor Whooves. You're wanted in the lobby."

_I thought that Rarity and Robert had killed Doctor Whooves,_ Twilight thought to herself.

_As did I, _Rainbow Dash added.

_You can hear my thoughts? _Twilight quietly questioned. _How long have you done this?_

_This entire time._ Rainbow Dash replied.

Suddenly, Doctor Whooves had appeared in the lobby. He saw Lunar, Twilight (and unknowingly, Rainbow Dash), Sweetie Belle, and the collapsed Rarity, whom was surrounded in magenta, indigo, and sea green aura, but mainly magenta and indigo. He walked up to the receptionist and asked her what it was that was needed from him.

"Well, these three have requested that this pony receive immediate medical attention." The receptionist told Doctor Whooves.

"Well," Doctor Whooves spoke, turning to Lunar, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie Belle, "I'm sorry, but there are other ponies who need medical attention as well."

That statement got Sweetie Belle to shed some tears. She collapsed onto Twilight's body, feeling the odd fur on her body instead of a normal pony's coat. Twilight looked down and, driven by the passion that Sweetie Belle had, attempted to convince Doctor Whooves to change his mind.

"Please, Doctor," she began, "this sweet, little filly is the only family that pony has. I'm not one for ordering my subjects around, but this is an entirely different situation. This is one of the Element holders for the Elements of Harmony. As Princess, I need you to give her immediate medical attention."

"Please, Doctor," added Lunar, "I am issuing a royal order for treatment on this pony immediately."

Doctor Whooves laughed, still baffled by Twilight's comment. "_You!? Princess? _You're down right sick if you think that you're a Princess! I'll give to you that you do look like Princess Twilight did, but you look nothing like a regular pony! I'm sorry, but-"

Rainbow Dash spread out Twilight's wings, thus ceasing Doctor Whooves' bashing on Twilight. His jaw was dropped in awe, for he was in the presence of Princess Twilight Sparkle (and, apparently, Princess Rainbow Dash), but a different looking Princess Twilight.

"Your Highness," Doctor Whooves cracked, bowing before Her Majesty, "I-I'm so sorry for not recognizing you earlier."

"Your apology will be accepted if you agree to take this pony in for immediate medical attention!" Twilight barked.

"But of course, Your Highness." Doctor Whooves replied, pulling out a medical stretcher. "Please, place her on top of here."

Sweetie Belle, Lunar, and Twilight then put Rarity on top of the stretcher and, once Rarity was held in place, Doctor Whooves rolled her away.

"I sure hope she's okay," Sweetie Belle cried.

"We all do, Sweetie Belle," Twilight comforted, "we all do."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Hours have passed since Rarity was taken in to the hospital abruptly. Twilight and Rainbow Dash have long since traveled home with Lunar, while Sweetie Belle opted staying overnight next to her older sister, whom was currently hanging on by a thread for dear life. This has happened once before – when Robert was originally infected – and we all know how that story went, no pun intended.

Sweetie Belle had a heavy set of eyes as she overlooked Rarity, whom was currently lying in a bed with a heavy amount of IVs attached to her body. The time was slightly passed the midnight hour and everyone in the hospital had either gone home from a hard day's work, or settled in and finally went to bed. Rarity and Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, were wide awake after the hour of one. At that time, Rarity had grown hungry; rather, she grew thirsty. She requested blood, but Sweetie Belle was too tired to supply it.

"Please, Sweetie Belle," Rarity coughed, "I desperately need some now..."

Sweetie Belle bemoaned, but dragged herself up towards Rarity's location, laying next to her on the hospital bed. Rarity motioned her hoof along Sweetie Belle's neck and attempted to locate the bite marks that were on her neck. Once she had located the marks, she leaned in towards her younger sister and penetrated her skin, sucking up some desperately needed blood. It wasn't a whole lot, but it was enough to move about and replenish some health.

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle," Rarity replied in a sotto voce voice, "you have no idea how much this means to me."

"I think I do, Rarity," Sweetie Belle rebutted, "now you should get some sleep. It'll help you get better."

Rarity had fallen asleep prior to Sweetie Belle even completing her sentence. Sweetie Belle noticed this and snuggled up against Rarity's warm body. Not too long after that, Sweetie Belle had also fallen asleep for the night.

* * *

Time has long passed since Rarity and Sweetie Belle had fallen asleep. It was still night out, but it was much later in the night. The time was about four o'clock in the morning and Rarity and Sweetie Belle appeared to have an unnoted visitor. Actually, they appreard to have had in their presence _two _unascertained visitors – Princess Twilight Sparkle (in accompany with a sleeping Rainbow Dash) and Princess Luna.

"Look, Princess," Twilight whispered, trying her best not to wake up the two sleeping sisters.

"I see it," Princess Luna replied, "but I don't believe it."

"But it is true, unfortunately," Twilight continued, "it's as true as me being a lycan is true. Rarity _and_ Sweetie Belle are vamponies in our fair society."

"We simply must take action." Princess Luna suggested.

"We have to," Twilight ruefully agreed.

"Princess Celestia won't enjoy this bit of news," Princess Luna added before walking out of the room.

Twilight stood behind for a few more seconds and grimaced over Rarity and Sweetie Belle. She gave off an evil smirk before leaving the room behind Princess Luna.

"That'll show you vamponies." Twilight menacingly spoke. "Us lycans are the ones who will rule Equestria!"

The door shut heavily behind Twilight as she proceeded down the hallway, following Princess Luna, as the two regal ponies left the hospital. Rarity had heard the door shut and shuttered heavily, waking up Sweetie Belle in the process.

"Ugh..." Sweetie Belle groaned. "What's the matter, Rarity?"

"I heard the door shut harshly, Sweetie Belle," Rarity replied.

"So?"

"I think somepony was watching us." Rarity answered. "Be a dear, won't you, and see who is outside in the hallway."

"I highly doubt that anypony is in the hallway, Rarity," Sweetie Belle yawned, "I think you just dreamt it."

"No," Rarity protested, "I'm as sure of it as the day is followed by the night. Somepony was watching us and is out in the hallway. Please check for me, won't you?"

Sweetie Belle sighed, "Fine..."

Sweetie Belle struggled out of the bed and opened up the door. There were no ponies in the hallway that were visible, but Sweetie Belle could see the shadow of Princess Luna. She knew it was Princess Luna because the mane was elegant and flowing through the air around her, something that generally doesn't happen to regular ponies. She closed the door slowly behind her so that Princess Luna wouldn't hear them, then told Rarity that Princess Luna was deep down the hallway.

"Princess Luna?" Rarity questioned. "What in Equestria is Princess Luna doing here?"

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle replied, looking out the window, "but I have a feeling that Twilight has something to do with this."

She pointed a hoof out the window and pointed towards Twilight and Princess Luna. They appeared to be talking with each other, but that quickly ended as Princess Luna flew off into the night sky and Twilight teleported away using her magic.

"Something is going on and I don't like it one bit." Sweetie Belle commented.

* * *

_**~On the outskirts of Ponyville~**_

Near the edge of the tiny, oddly bustling town, Vladimir Von Puft and M19 had appeared and began nearing the Ponyville Hospital. He knew of Rarity and what she once was and managed to find out that she was being taken care of in the hospital by an anonymous tipster. He had no clue that Sweetie Belle was also a vampony nor did he know that she was with Rarity. What Vladimir Von Puft was planning to do was use Rarity's vampony magic for evil purposes - mainly for conquering Canterlot and, eventually, Equestria.

"Come along, M19," Vladimir called, "we've got work to do."

"BZzT, COMING!" M19 replied.

The two were currently nearing the entrance towards the Ponyville Hospital, but stopped suddenly when they saw two other figures come out of the doors.

"M19," Vladimir whispered, "enable cloaking ability."

"BZzT, CLOAKING ABILITY ACTIVATED!" M19 responded, blending in with the surrounding scenery.

Vladimir squinted at the two figures that had exited the hospital. He identified one of them as the Princess of the Night herself - Princess Luna - but failed to identify the other one. Vladimir managed to hear a conversation between the two and began to listen in fully to it.

"...Celestia won't be too happy with this latest development." Princess Luna said.

"I know she won't," the other individual said, "but we must alert her that she is one once more!"

"What are they talking about?" Vladimir spoke out loud. "Who are they talking about?"

"It has to be this way," the unknown individual stated, "you said so yourself, Princess Luna."

"I know I did, Twilight," Princess Luna heavily answered, "I just don't know how Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance will react to this. Even Prince Lunar will surely blow a gasket."

"Twilight?" Vladimir repeated. "Twilight Sparkle? _The _Princess Twilight Sparkle herself!? Why...I thought she died..."

"I must be returning to Canterlot now, Twilight," Princess Luna advised, "please stay safe and enjoy the rest of your night."

"You too, Princess," Twilight replied.

The two alicorns then went their separate ways, Princess Luna by flying and Princess Twilight by teleportation. Once Vladimir made sure that the coast was clear, he and M19 started making their way towards the entrance of the hospital by using whatever stealth tactics they both knew. Upon reaching the entrance, they found that the door was still open, so Vladimir and M19 helped themselves inside the tall establishment. Approaching the entrance desk, Vladimir and M19 climbed over and stared at the list of hundred of ponies that were being kept inside. Impatient, Vladimir turned to M19 and smirked.

"M19, hack into the computers and find out where Rarity is being kept." Vladimir instructed.

"BZzT, HACKING..." M19 declared, "HACKING COMPLETE! PATIENT 1032, RARITY, BEING KEPT IN ROOM 2014-A!"

"Excellent job, M19," Vladimir praised, "now let's go. Room 2014-A...she should be on the second floor."

Rushing down one of the halls within the hospital, Vladimir quickly navigated the staircase and headed up to the second floor of the hospital. Once he had reached the second floor, along with M19, he began to locate Rarity's room, which was oddly located one door down on the right hand side, facing out towards the rest of Ponyville.

"Stay here, M19," Vladimir ordered, "it's best if I go in myself."

"BZzT, GRANTED!" M19 boomed, possibly waking up some of the nearby ponies.

Vladimir opened up the door slowly and was greeted to Sweetie Belle's presence before him. He looked down and glanced at Sweetie Belle, a bit confused as to where Rarity was.

"Who are you!?" Sweetie Belle shrieked.

"Quiet, little filly," Vladimir answered, "I am looking for Rarity. Do you know where she is?"

"What do you want with my big sister!?" Sweetie Belle shouted, ignoring Vladimir's request from earlier.

"'Big sister,' you say?" Vladimir chuckled. "This makes that a lot more interesting then..."

"Makes what more interesting?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Little filly," Vladimir continued, "are you, by any chance, a vampony?"

Sweetie Belle looked uncomfortable. "Why ask that?" She asked nervously.

"You are," Vladimir assumed, "aren't you!?"

"Why do you want to know?" Sweetie Belle asked, her voice not as loud as before.

"Answer me this first," Vladimir said, "is Rarity the pony on the bed right now?"

"Yes," Sweetie Belle answered, "why?"

"Little filly," Vladimir continued, "allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vladimir Von Puft and I am a misunderstood unicorn, and a deformed one for that as well. I am on a quest to make misunderstood ponies, such as yourself, understood and appreciated by society."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"How isn't important," Vladimir replied, "it's the act of being able to do it that is what will make it perfectly fine, little filly."

"I'm listening..." Sweetie Belle spoke.

"Good," Vladimir commented, "now I just need your older sister's attention and we'll be good to go."

Sweetie Belle looked back at Rarity and began pondering over whether or not she should wake her up. She bit her lip, then decided on what she should do.

* * *

_**~The next morning~**_

"Good to see you up and about, Miss Rarity," Vladimir smiled, "if my calculations are correct – and they almost always are – you should be well enough to check out."

"Please, Vlad," Rarity replied, "you may address me simply as Rarity. Sweetie Belle, be a dear won't you and call for a nurse. I want to see how much longer I must stay here."

"Be right back, sis," Sweetie Belle answered, rushing out of the room in a jiffy.

Rarity went over and shut the door, leaving her alone with Vladimir and a deactivated M19. She approached Vladimir slowly and spoke softly to him, this way nobody else would be able to hear them.

"Did they really do that last night?" Rarity asked, referring to Twilight and Princess Luna and their surprise visit.

"They most certainly did." Vladimir answered, instilling false information sprinkled over the truth to Rarity. "At this moment, they are probably plotting against you and, by now, Princess Celestia must certainly know."

"I thought we were friends..." Rarity cried. "How could she do this to us?"

"It must be hard for you to take in, Rarity," Vladimir replied, "believe me when I say that...I've been there my entire life."

Vladimir comforted Rarity as best as he could while she wept. When the two ponies heard the door begin opening up, Rarity pulled herself away from Vladimir rapidly and also wiped some tears from her eyes.

The door opened up and before Rarity and Vladimir stood Sweetie Belle and Doctor Whooves. Sweetie Belle happily trotted into the room and was closely followed by the doctor.

"You're looking awfully well," Doctor Whooves commented, "aren't you, Rarity?"

"Most certainly," Rarity replied, "I was actually wondering-"

"When you were going to be able to check out, I presume?" Doctor Whooves finished.

"Precisely." Rarity smiled.

"Well," Doctor Whooves continued, "based off of your appearance and your early morning tests, I'd say that you're able to check out as of this minute."

"Really?" Rarity and Sweetie Belle both gasped.

Doctor Whooves nodded. "I'll have a nurse come in and help you out."

"Oh thank you, Doctor Whooves!" Rarity responded.

"You're welcome, Rarity," Doctor Whooves replied, "now take it easy."

"Same to you, Doctor." answered Rarity as Doctor Whooves left the room.

Rarity turned towards Sweetie Belle and Vladimir and her smile quickly faded into an evil looking smirk, as did Sweetie Belle's and Vladimir's.

"And once we're out," Rarity quietly told them, "Twilight will pay for what she has done to us."

Both Rarity's eye and Sweetie Belle's eyes flashed the demonic red that came naturally to vamponies as the nurse began entering the room. Rarity calmed herself down and spun around, eyes the normal color they were supposed to be. The nurse approached Rarity, whom was shielding Sweetie Belle from the nurse's line of vision.

"I'll just need you to sign right here for your immediate release, Miss Rarity," the nurse told her, "then you'll be free to go."

Grabbing the quill with her magic, Rarity signed the release forms and was now able to leave the hospital on a full pardon. Once she had left, Sweetie Belle, Vladimir, M19, and herself had begun their pursuit towards Twilight's home. The timing for this couldn't have been any better, seeing how Spike and Lunar were both over in the Crystal Empire, helping out Shining Armor with some royal duties, and the other ponies had some important business matters to attend to first.

"Rarity," Sweetie Belle called, "what exactly are we going to do to Twilight?"

"Trap her, torture her, whatever we need to do to her, Sweetie Belle." Rarity replied.

Vladimir was behind the two vampony sisters, smiling in the process. The two sisters failed to notice it, continuing on in their pursuits towards the Golden Oaks Library. Up ahead in the distance, they saw a shimmering light. They found the passage back to the place they were plenty of times before.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Rarity called from the porch. While waiting for Twilight to answer the door, Rarity used her vampony magic to increase her height slightly, as well as Sweetie Belle's height. Now, Rarity was as tall as Princess Luna and Princess Cadance were and Sweetie Belle was as tall as Twilight was. Vladimir watched on as the two sisters prepared themselves to give Twilight the whatfor that she semi-deserved.

Moments later, Twilight answered the door and had a surprised look on her face. You could see Twilight's surprised reaction and heard Rainbow Dash's reaction as well.

"Oh, sweet Celestia..." Rainbow Dash remarked.

"Umm..." Twilight uncomfortably chuckled. "H-Hello there, R-Rarity."

Rarity stood silent, pushing herself inside Twilight's oak tree home. Sweetie Belle followed closely behind, as did Vladimir and M19. Rarity pushed Twilight all the way back to one of the book cases and began to question her heavily.

"Let me start with this, Twilight," Rarity spoke with her demonic voice, "we are friends, are we not?"

"O-Of course we are, Rarity," Twilight stammered, "why would you even ask that?"

"Friends don't keep secrets from each other," continued Rarity, "correct?"

"No," answered Twilight, "of course not."

"So," Rarity spoke, "you wouldn't have any idea of what I'm about to tell you then, would you?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Twilight questioned.

"I don't like where this is going." Rainbow Dash chipped in.

"Oh, something about you lycans taking out us vamponies doesn't ring a bell, Twilight?" Rarity asked. "Does it?"

"I-I would never do something like that!" Twilight shouted.

"Then why did you tell Princess Luna last night that something must be done and that Princess Celestia must know immediately?" Vladimir questioned Twilight.

"First off," Twilight defended, "I don't know who you are. Second, I never told Princess Luna that."

"Then what did you tell her exactly?" Sweetie Belle demanded. "Word. For word!"

Twilight had a hard time answering that question. She was cornering herself in a hypothetical wall, unable to come up with an excuse or a response to Sweetie Belle's question.

"Tick tock, Twilight," Rarity impatiently said, "we haven't got all day, you know."

Still, Twilight remained silent. Twilight was silent and Rainbow Dash couldn't answer for her since she too was also left speechless.

"You're coming with us, Twilight." Rarity stated, grabbing a hold of Twilight with her vampony magic.

Twilight struggled mightily to break free of Rarity's grasp. Try as she might, however, Rarity was simply too strong for Twilight to handle.

"We both know that I'm stronger than you are, Twilight," Rarity mocked, "there's no sense in trying to break free, you know."

"Ugh," Twilight grunted, "where are you taking me?"

"That's none of your business, you traitor!" Rarity yelled.

"Let. Us. Go!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"Don't take any hard feelings, Rainbow Dash," Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"It just so happens to be unfortunate for you," Rarity added, "seeing how you're one with Twilight."

"Come ladies," Vladimir spoke, "we nary a moment to spare."

With that said, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, the captured Twilight and Rainbow Dash, along with Vladimir and M19 all left the Golden Oaks Library and made their way towards their next destination – Canterlot.

* * *

_**~Meanwhile, in Canterlot~**_

"My sister," Princess Luna began, "I'm beginning to sense a terrible danger that approaches us rapidly."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Luna," Princess Celestia replied, "I'm sure that whatever is clouding your mind is all a mirage and simply nonexistent."

"How can you be so sure of yourself though?" Princess Luna asked. "What if it isn't in my mind but it really does exist?"

Princess Celestia comforted her younger sister by wrapping a hoof around her neck and bringing her closer to herself. Celestia could sense the uneasiness that Luna had clouding her mind at the moment and thought best to try and erase it from her mind.

"Come now, Princess Luna," Princess Celestia softly spoke, "there's nothing you need to fret about. I'm sure as always that Equestria and all of its citizens are as safe as they always are."

"But for how long, my sister?" Princess Luna questioned. "For how long can you see them as peaceful as they usually are? For how much longer can you see them frolicking down the side of the path, carefree and all? For how long can you see Equestria safe from another villain?"

"That," Princess Celestia heavily remarked, "is a question that even I know not the answer to."

"How can we be sure another vampony epidemic or - even worse - a lycan epidemic breaks out?" Princess Luna continued, hovering over next to the window of the throne room, looking out at the peaceful looking subjects that were before her. "How can we be sure nothing bad will ever happen again?"

"Those are questions which would boggle even the mind of Star Swirl the Bearded himself, Princess Luna." Princess Celestia responded.

Princess Luna turned back from the window and faced her older sister once more. Eyes heavy from exhaustion, she stumbled over next to Princess Celestia and whispered something to her, something which seemed to make Celestia herself wide-eyed.

"How can you be sure I will still be like this?" Princess Luna whispered. "How can you - you of all ponies - be sure that I won't snap and become Nightmare Moon again? Please...answer that for me."

Princess Celestia sighed, "I do not know, Princess Luna...I do not know..."

Princess Luna, failing to receive the comfort she had hoped for, left the throne room and made way towards her own bedroom, desperately wanting to get some sleep that she so heavily needed. Princess Celestia shook her head slowly, noticing that she had failed in trying to help out her sister. Ordering the guards that were in the throne room at the current moment to leave for a moment, Princess Celestia had shut the throne room doors slowly, leaving herself alone with only the thoughts that were clouding her own intelligent mind. She had neared the window Princess Luna had looked out of earlier, watching the sun set before her ever so slowly.

"Time to raise the moon, I suppose..." Princess Celestia sighed, understanding that her younger sister was in no condition to be able to do so.

Horn glowing a nice, soothing white color, Princess Celestia had begun raising the moon slowly into the sky, something she hasn't done in a while. When a sudden knock came before Princess Celestia, she became startled and lost concentration, raising the moon in a most unfortunate hurry. Risen, it was; Elegantly risen, it wasn't. The knock came again suddenly, making Princess Celestia wonder what her guards most likely wanted. She assumed that it was her guards knocking on the throne room door, likely because her guards were the only ones who would knock on them. Princess Celestia began to approach the throne room doors, but stopped in the middle of the throne room when the doors burst open.

"What in Equestria is going on here?" Princess Celestia demanded.

Entering the throne room was an angry Rarity, Sweetie Belle, a trapped Twilight Sparkle, a deformed unicorn Princess Celestia had never seen before, as well as a robotic pony.

Princess Celestia was confused. "Rarity?" She asked. "What are you doing with Princess Twilight?"

"Do you really consider her to be a Princess, Your Highness?" Rarity questioned.

"Lycan or not," Princess Celestia continued, "Princess Twilight is still a Princess."

"Well," Rarity chuckled, "that's interesting."

"Why do you say that, Rarity?" Princess Celestia asked. "Why are you holding down Princess Twilight?"

"Because she planned to destroy us!" Rarity and Sweetie Belle shouted in reply.

"I highly doubt that Princess Twilight would plot anything like that," Princess Celestia scoffed, defending her former star pupil, "I highly doubt that she would do anything like that in the first place."

"Er, Your Highness," Vladimir cut in, "if I may say but a few words?"

"But of course, my little pony," Princess Celestia smiled.

Vladimir stepped up, surpassing an enraged Rarity and Sweetie Belle. "Your Highness," he began, "I can vouch for anypony in legitimately any way possible. This time - an unfortunate time - I am vouching for Miss Rarity and her younger sister, Sweetie Belle."

"And why is that?" Princess Celestia questioned.

"I heard Princess Twilight myself plotting to get rid of these ponies myself." Vladimir replied. "I heard her and so did Princess Luna, the pony Princess Twilight told her plan to."

"Princess Luna?" Princess Celestia repeated. "My sister, Princess Luna? You surely can't be serious."

"If you don't believe me, Princess Celestia," Vladimir continued, "then why not try asking her yourself? You know your younger sister better than anypony here in this room, I'm sure you can tell when she is lying to your face."

Princess Celestia gulped. She knew that what Vladimir stated was the cold, honest truth. She could tell when her sister was hurt, sad, or lying. She could tell when something was wrong with Princess Luna and she'd always try to fix it and make things better, whether it be comforting her or by approaching the problem herself. Without giving this atrocious thought one more moment, Princess Celestia glanced over towards one of the guards that came rushing in after Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Vladimir, and M19 all came into the throne room.

"Please," she started, "go bring me Princess Luna immediately."

"As you wish, Your Highness," the guard answered as he rushed out of the throne room to go retrieve the Princess of the Night.

"As for you, Rarity," Princess Celestia continued, "I must request that you release Princess Twilight from your magic."

"That's an abominable request, Your Highness!" Rarity snapped.

"Rarity," Princess Celestia heavily remarked, "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you: release Princess Twilight at once! That is an order from your Princess."

"Quid pro quo, Your Highness," Rarity replied, "quid pro quo. That simply won't happen unless I can get a confirmation that you will handle Princess Twilight with the punishment. If I don't receive a solemn reply, then Princess Twilight isn't going to be the only one who has to worry about us."

"Rarity," Princess Celestia began, trying her best to defuse the situation that currently seemed to be spiraling out of control, "I need you to calm down and collectively pull yourself together. You are not like this; I know you're not."

"Princess Celestia," Rarity snapped, "with all due respect, _you_ are the one who needs to collectively pull yourself together!" She turned towards Sweetie Belle and nodded at her. They turned their attention back at Princess Celestia. "Allow us to help you with that!"

Princess Celestia widened her eyes as Sweetie Belle used her vampony magic to hold her down. Vladimir helped secure Princess Celestia's capture as well and solidified her trapped state. Princess Celestia tried breaking off and freeing herself from Sweetie Belle's and Vladimir's grasp, but the two unicorns' magic was oddly too strong for Princess Celestia to break free from. Not a moment later did Princess Luna come into the throne room, aided by one of Princess Celestia's guards. Princess Luna attempted to free Princess Celestia herself from Sweetie Belle and Vladimir, though Rarity managed to put a stop to that as well by threatening Princess Luna and the royal guard that stood before them as well.

"Not another step, Luna!" Rarity shouted.

"That's Princess Luna, thou ungrateful whelp!" Princess Luna shouted in reply, using the Royal Canterlot voice to clearly state her point.

"Not anymore!" Vladimir stated.

"From now on," added Sweetie Belle, "we are the rulers of Equestria!"

"Equestria will dominantly be a vampony society like it was supposed to be!" Rarity declared. "And our first act as rulers will be to lock you away in the dungeons for siding with this traitor!"

Rarity then teleported all three princesses away with her evil vampony magic and blasted away the royal guard, slamming the doors to the throne room shut in the process. Equestria was taken over by the evil vamponies and Vladimir and there was little to no help available to this outburst!

"Equestria is ours for the taking and there is nopony who can stop us now!" Rarity shouted, setting herself down on top of Princess Celestia's throne.

* * *

_**~Beneath Canterlot, inside the dungeons~**_

Deep in the Canterlot dungeons - the same dungeons that our confused hero-turned-villain Robert was banished to - Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash had all appeared in a rusted old, raggedy dungeon magically after being teleported away by the evil vampony Rarity herself, leaving Equestria defenseless once more. The surrounding area was pitch black, making seeing a terribly tough task. Twilight, now a lycan, was able to locate both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna through the dark, engulfing area, bringing the two close together so that they could get warmer, seeing how it also was dark here in the dungeons.

"Princess Luna," Princess Celestia quietly started, voice echoing throughout the dungeon, "tell me: did Twilight tell you that she wanted to get rid of Rarity and Sweetie Belle?"

"Princess Twilight only told me that you needed to be alerted," Princess Luna replied, "nothing more, nothing less."

"So," continued Princess Celestia, "they were lying. I should've known that they were the ones lying. I knew you wouldn't plan anything like that, Princess Twilight."

Twilight chuckled uncomfortably, "Yeah, I wouldn't."

"Now there's just the one question as to how we get ourselves out of here." Rainbow Dash added.

The new voice startled Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They hadn't known yet that Twilight and Rainbow Dash had fused together by accident and were now stuck together. Twilight wanted to mention to the two princesses earlier that she had Rainbow Dash infused in her body, but the timing seemed way out of whack and the perfect opportunity never revealed itself to do it properly.

"Who was that?" Princess Luna asked.

"That was Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna." Twilight answered.

"How can that be Rainbow Dash?" Princess Luna continued.

"She died a while ago." Princess Celestia added.

"And I became a ghost and started messing around and stuff." Rainbow Dash completed. "Point is: I flew into Twilight's umm...furry...body - eww - and now I'm stuck in it."

Luna smiled. "Two ponies-"

"They aren't ponies any longer, Princess Luna," Princess Celestia reminded her younger sister.

"A lycan and a ghost working together in the same body?" Luna chuckled. "That sounds like an interesting adventure."

"You don't know the half of it." Twilight and Rainbow Dash stated at the same time.

"No," a new voice stated, "_you _don't know the half of it!"

The new voice startled the three princesses, making them frantically look around to try and trace to origin point of said new voice. Not even Twilight, who could see in the dark as clear as daylight, could trace the origin point of the new voice. Standing her guard, she started to brace herself for whatever was around her, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia.

"Who's there?" Twilight demanded to know.

"Calm yourself down, Sparkle," the voice continued, "I mean, I may still have grudges against certain ponies, but I mean no harm."

"Where are you?" Princess Celestia questioned.

"Show yourself!" Princess Luna demanded.

"Calm down, you three," the voice chuckled, "you all look like you've been spooked by a ghost or something."

"That would probably be my doing," Rainbow Dash joked.

Twilight began losing her patience. She, along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, lit up their horns and brightly lit up the surrounding area. There still was no fourth body to trace the voice back to, though that soon changed when a tall, sleek, emerald colored pony stepped out from beyond the shadows and revealed themselves to the three princesses, plus Rainbow Dash. Twilight caught a glimpse of the pony at first, but couldn't believe her eyes when she figured out who exactly this was.

"Robert?" Twilight gasped. "Is that you?"

"Who else would randomly pop up here out of nowhere," Robert sarcastically replied, "Princess Cadance? Prince Lunar?"

"No need to be so sarcastic, you know," Twilight snapped.

"Coming from the pony who ate me and nearly killed me," Robert continued, "are you serious? The only Princess I have no problem with is Princess Celestia. You, Twilight, ate me and Princess Luna left me on the brink of death!"

"Let's get something straight, Robert," Princess Luna butted in, "you challenged me to a magic duel and got hurt severely. My intentions are to never kill one of my subjects, but you asked for a significantly large amount of pain to be dealt to you. If you're still angry about what happened, you need to get over it and move on."

"Now, now, Princess Luna," Princess Celestia smiled, "you too, Princess Twilight, leave Robert alone. He's obviously had some time to at least try and ease his stress that we've cause him and we've only ourselves to blame for that stress. Are you okay, Robert?"

Robert glanced over with the heaviest sarcastic look in his eyes. "Yes, Your Highness," he answered in an asinine way, "I'm perfectly okay. I'm just fine and dandy after being locked up here for months! And it's all thanks to you!"

Princess Luna grew annoyed, though she remained silent. Twilight (and yes, Rainbow Dash, too) also grew annoyed, but looked the other way and attempted to not get sucked into the conversation in a negative fashion. Princess Celestia, who also was growing rather annoyed with Robert, continued to comfort him, pushing back the negativity Robert was offering at the moment.

This reunion with Robert was a rather unusual one, though if Equestria needs to be saved yet again from vamponies, perhaps Robert could be of importance here. Robert looked all around him and began growing impatient. Soon after, he broke the ice with the others again.

"Enough with the small talk and accusations," Robert spoke, "let's get down to the real things that matter most."

"What exactly do you mean?" Twilight wondered.

Robert snickered, "Why are you three here? What has driven you to come visit me?"

"We didn't come to visit you, Robert," Twilight answered.

"She's right," Princess Luna added, "we were brought here by force."

"By force?" Robert repeated. "Seriously? That's the best excuse you could come up with?"

"It's not an excuse, Robert," Princess Celestia defended her younger sister and Twilight, "it's the bizarre truth."

"How can that be true?" Robert questioned. "Call me crazy, but when I was a vampony and challenged Princess Luna to a magic duel, if my memory is accurate, I do believe that Princess Luna was a normal alicorn and defeated me fairly easily. Based off of that scenario, shouldn't you alicorns be some of the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria, speaking in terms of magic?"

"Your facts are accurate, to an extent," Princess Luna answered.

"But your assumption isn't necessarily true." Princess Celestia added.

"It isn't?" Robert asked.

"Not really," Princess Celestia answered.

"You see, Robert," Twilight spoke, "alicorns are powerful in terms of magic, but there are creatures that exceed beyond alicorn power. Trust me, I know."

"I can see that, you lycan." Robert accused.

"How do you know what I am?" Twilight asked.

"I can tell when I see a lycan myself, Twi," Robert continued, "it's not an uncommon thing bac...scratch that. There are plenty of stories explaining what you are and a couple of pictures showing your status."

Twilight gave an uncomfortable look at Robert, as did Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. Nobody thought to speak out and question Robert about that statement. Nobody, but Rainbow Dash, that is.

"Am I the only pony who thinks that that was a little bit on the weird side?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Robert's ears twitched and shot upward as they picked up Rainbow Dash's voice. Robert frantically looked around, trying to locate Rainbow Dash physically, failing to realize that the point of origin was Twilight's mouth.

"Where are you, Rainbow Dash?" Robert asked.

_Please, let me have some fun with him, Twilight. _Rainbow Dash told Twilight telepathically.

_As a bit of payback for the heavy sarcasm from earlier, _Twilight replied, _go crazy, Rainbow Dash._

"Robert," Princess Celestia spoke, "Rainbow-"

"Princess Celestia," Twilight cut in, "uhh...you have something in your mane."

"I do?" Princess Celestia questioned.

"You most certainly do," Twilight continued, "allow me to get that for you."

Twilight walked over to Princess Celestia and positioned herself so that she could whisper something in her ear.

"Let's have a little fun with Robert right now," Twilight whispered, motioning her paw in the air to make it seem like she was removing something from Princess Celestia's mane, "just go along with it."

"I won't say a word." Princess Celestia replied back, deciding to go along with the fun. She cleared her throat, then thanked Twilight for removing the object from her mane.

"You're welcome, Princess Celestia," winked Twilight.

In the meantime, Robert was still trying to find Rainbow Dash physically. Rainbow Dash was cracking up on the inside of Twilight and tried her best to contain herself. Robert lit up his horn, which wasn't as bright as it used to be, trying to find Rainbow Dash in the cave of darkness they were all in currently.

"Come on, Rainbow," Robert spoke, "where are you?"

"Over here, Robert!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Robert rushed over to where Twilight and Princess Celestia were, trying his best to find Rainbow Dash, though failing to locate her altogether. He grunted, starting to get a bit annoyed.

"Seriously, Rainbow," Robert continued, "where are you?"

"Can't you see me, Rob?" Rainbow Dash chuckled.

The other ponies tried their best to contain their laughter while they all watched Robert frantically try to locate Rainbow Dash. It was like watching a one-pony show, where the only character has gone completely insane, believing that the voices they were hearing originated from a physical being. Robert failed to locate Rainbow Dash all together and, as a result, gave up the search and paid his attention back towards Twilight and the other Princesses.

"Robert," Twilight chuckled, "Rainbow Dash is-"

"Allow me, Twilight," Rainbow Dash cut off.

Robert was shocked to hear two different voices coming from Twilight. He jumped back, then began to put two and two together.

"What happened to you, Twilight?" Robert asked. "Why is Rainbow Dash's voice attached to you."

"Oh brother," Rainbow Dash sighed, "this is going to be one awkward explanation."

"You can say that again, Dash," Twilight agreed.

"What's going on?" Robert demanded to know.

"It's time we explain the entire story to you, Robert." Twilight said.

"So get comfy," Rainbow Dash added, "because it is sure to be a long one."

Robert sternly stared at Twilight and prepared himself to hear their explanation. The others watched, hoping to see how Robert would react to such an absurd, but true story.

* * *

"Okay, so lemme see if I got all of this straight." Robert said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Shoot." Twilight replied.

"So you died, Twilight," continued Robert, "as did you, Rainbow Dash, only to both come back as different beings?"

"That's right, Robert," Twilight praised.

Robert snickered, "That's got to be the dumbest response I've ever heard."

"Well," a disgusted Twilight replied, "excuse-"

"BUT," Robert butted in, "it has to be true. Here you are, standing before me as something other than a pony and with Rainbow Dash lodged inside of you. Either she is also telling the truth and she really is stuck inside of you, or you, Twilight, can do a real good Rainbow Dash impression."

"I'm telling the truth!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Prove it then." challenged Robert.

"You were killed in your world, came here, and, after time had passed, married Rarity, only to go berserk and get locked up in here while Rarity divorced from you." Rainbow Dash stated.

"Honestly, Dash," Robert chuckled, "I do believe everyone I know already knew that. You're gonna have to prove yourself a bit better for me to believe you."

"I do remember you telling me one thing," Rainbow Dash smiled, "one thing you only told me."

"And what might that be?" Robert sarcastically replied.

"You told me that you liked Princess L-"

"OKAY!" Robert shouted, cutting off Rainbow Dash, whom was internally giggling right now. "I believe you!"

"That's what I thought," Rainbow Dash chuckled.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his dusty emerald colored hoof, Robert proceeded to ask what he was needed for.

"...if I'm here as a regular old unicorn," he added, "why are my services needed? Clearly you can take care of it yourselves."

"You know Rarity better than we do, Robert," Princess Celestia stated.

"After all, you were married to her for a short while." Princess Luna added, blushing in the ever most slightest shade of lavender.

"Never more," Robert said, rolling his eyes, "quoth the raven, 'nevermore.'"

"Beg pardon?" Twilight muttered, confused by what Robert just stated.

"Quoth the raven, 'nevermore.'" Robert stated again. "Meaning, not anymore."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes (something that nobody else could or would ever see). "Surely she had to have told you something about herself that we don't know."

"Tis a visitor," Robert muttered, "tapping at my chamber door - only this, and nothing more."

"What?" Everyone asked, having some slight pauses between the different voices.

"Only this, and nothing more," Robert chuckled, "I know nothing more than you all do about her."

"Is that so?" Princess Celestia asked, cocking an eyebrow in the process.

"Only this," Robert smiled falsely, "and nothing more. Your pursuits in trying to seek out my help are nothing more than trying to replace Rarity's Element of Harmony, her elegant Element of Generosity. Both seem too farfetched to even happen, but if you still want my help, I'll do it, but on one condition."

"And what might that be, Robert?" Twilight asked.

Robert cocked an eyebrow, then looked all around him. The others couldn't exactly get at what Robert was suggesting, but Princess Celestia got the memo.

"In exchange for your help, Robert," Princess Celestia heeded, "you will have your utmost release from this dungeon with a full pardon. Sound fair?"

"I would have wanted that," Robert smiled, shifting his attention from Princess Celestia to Twilight, "only that, and nothing more."

Twilight didn't like the way Robert answered Princess Celestia's question, or the fact that he had menacingly glanced at her while answering the regal Princess of Equestria, but was content knowing that he was now on their side; for now he was, at least. Later could turn out to be an entirely different story if Robert was lying in his response. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in the meantime were both happy as can be, knowing that they have reunited one of the lost Element of Harmony holders.

"So, brainiac," Robert teased, "certainly you must have a plan as to how we could stop Rarity, don't you?"

Twilight glared at Robert harshly. Robert, being an ex-con, didn't have to be as much of an ass as he currently was, but understood in the slightest bit, seeing how he may still have some biased feelings towards everyone that was standing before him at the moment. Nevertheless, Twilight did answer the question that was solely asked to her and only her.

"As a matter of fact, tiny," Twilight replied, toying with Robert and his emotions a bit, "I do. It's a long shot of a plan, but it may just work."

"Lay it on us, Twilight," Robert replied, getting the message from when Twilight called him 'tiny,' "this is sure to be a good one."

"Okay," Twilight continued, "so here's what we're gonna do..."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

_**~Back inside the Canterlot castle~**_

"Why did I hesitate becoming this once more?" Rarity smirked. "This is the greatest thing I've ever wanted!"

"Pipe down, Rarity." Sweetie Belle spoke. Vlad looks like he wants to tell us something."

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle." Vladimir smiled. "You ladies sure know how to overpower other helpless ponies, now don't ya?"

"You could say that, Vladdy."

"And I most certainly will and did, Rarity." Vladimir continued. "Now, if it isn't too much trouble to ask...I was...never mind. It's too farfetched."

"No, go on, Vlad." Rarity insisted.

"I'm sure that whatever it is, it's nothing that we can't do for you." Sweetie Belle added.

"Well, since you insist so much, Sweetie Belle," Vladimir smirked, "I was wondering if you could turn me into a vampony, much like yourselves. Does that seem like a possibility, hmm?"

Rarity and Sweetie Belle, whom were both positioned on top of Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's thrones respectively, glanced at each other, then began to smile.

"I'd thought that you'd never ask, Vladdy," Rarity softly spoke, fluttering her eyes at the deformed unicorn.

"Shall you do the honors, Rarity," Sweetie Belle chimed, "or shall I do them?"

"Allow me, dear little sister," Rarity replied, nearing Vladimir in the process.

Vladimir was beaming with happiness, something he has rarely ever felt in his life. To put in short: happiness was a rarity for Vladimir. Vladimir positioned himself clearly so that Rarity wouldn't have to lean in to him, making her job a bit more easier than it was made out to be. Rarity smiled, then approached the deformed unicorn's neck, stopping suddenly.

"Are you ready, Vladdy?" Rarity smiled.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Vladimir replied.

"Then let us begin, shall we?" Rarity finished, driving her jagged fangs deep into Vladimir's along and coat, sucking out some of his blood.

Unaware of how unsettling the bite would be, Vladimir shouted out painfully, although he quickly stopped himself from doing that much longer. Moments later, Rarity pulled herself from Vladimir's neck and some immediate changes started occurring and happening. First and foremost, the most obvious change made to Vladimir was that his body was about as normal as a regular old pony's body. His two shortened legs now matched the length of the other two, which increased in length as well, thus increasing his overall height, matching Rarity's increased height - which matched Princess Luna's and Princess Cadance's height. Vladimir also began to feel his fangs sharpen and extend themselves as well.

"Oh, this is spectacular!" Vladimir shouted as his transformation into becoming a vampony was nearing completion.

"Isn't it, though?" Rarity smiled.

While Vladimir was completing his transformation, Rarity and Sweetie Belle walked out onto a nearby balcony and gazed over the new land that they had just conquered and took over. Rarity took in a breath, then began talking to her younger sister, the ironic vampony leader.

"Take one last look, Sweetie Belle," Rarity told her, "for from this moment forth, it will be our land! Our Canterlot! Our Ponyville! Our Manehattan! Our Equestria!"

While finishing that statement, Rarity had begun to embrace her majestic horn with her evil vampony magic. With it, she turned the color of the sky from a clear, calm, majestic cerulean color, to a fearful, menacing, threatening red color. Not too long after that did the two vampony sisters hear some cries from the ponies that were frolicking in the once peaceful day. They began scattering and seeking shelter inside their own homes as the peaceful day turned into a menacing takeover. Rarity smiled evilly, as did Sweetie Belle, as they were rejoined by Vladimir on the balcony.

"This will be our Equestria forever!" Rarity demonically shouted, closely following it with an evil laugh. "Nopony can stop us now!"

* * *

_**~Back underneath Canterlot, inside the dungeons~**_

"What a plan..." Robert semi-sarcastically stated.

"If you have a better one," Twilight replied, "I'd love to hear it."

"I'm not being sarcastic, Twi," Robert claimed, "I'm just saying."

"Just saying what, exactly?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"That it's a good plan." Robert defended. "Trust me, I've seen crappier plans than that play off and pull through. I'm a hunter, so I know a good plan when I see one and I know what to do if said plan were to backfire in any way."

"See it that way." Twilight chuckled.

"Quoth the raven, 'nevermore.'" Robert reiterated once more.

The others simply rolled their eyes. Twilight chuckled, then rounded up "the troops" and began phase one of her plan - their escape.

"This will work and by the end of it all," Twilight provided as a form of self esteem booster, "we will take down Rarity and the others."

_We'll see, Twilight, _Robert thought, _we'll see..._

The unlikely group of heroes began walking in one direction, into the darkness of the dungeons. What they had hoped for was to find a way out of said dungeons before time ran out for them. As they moved into an unseeable abyss, many thoughts clouded everyone's mind, especially Robert, who longed to see Rarity once more, but for a reason he hoped was not true.

* * *

After struggling for what seemed like hours, the group of ponies finally found an exit to the dungeons and started breathing sighs of relief.

"Way to go, Twilight," Rainbow Dash praised.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight condoled, looking back and facing the eerie Robert, "glad to know that somepony is thankful."

"Oh, trust me, Sparkle," Robert menaced, "I am deeply grateful that I get to see the light of day once more, though, to be honest, I'd rather see a blue sky instead of a red one."

"That is not my doing if you are all wondering," Princess Celestia claimed.

"Nor ours," added Princess Luna, "it is the work of them."

"Who's?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"Rarity's?" Twilight added.

Princess Luna nodded. "Most certainly, as painful as it is to say it."

"Where are we now?" Robert casually asked, failing to skip a beat.

Twilight looked around her and took in the extravagant scenery. Something about this area felt familiar to her, though she couldn't place her paw on what exactly that familiarity was. She began walking around in an attempt to try and jog her memory of this location.

"Everything okay, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight disregarded the question and continued to walk around and take in the surrounding scenery. Around her, trees stood everywhere. The group of ponies (and one mythological creature with a ghost trapped inside of it) were in the center of a secluded, open, abandoned area of a forest. Whether or not it was the Everfree Forest, the group was unsure of that.

Rainbow Dash grew impatient, having yet to receive an answer. "Twilight!?"

"Huh? Wh-what?" Twilight wondered, finally accepting the sound nearby, something that was being tuned out the last five minutes.

"Is everything okay, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked yet again.

"Oh," Twilight replied, "uhh...ye-yeah, Rainbow Dash. Umm, ev-everything is...is..."

Twilight had begun to drift off as the surrounding scenery started becoming clearer and clearer to her. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, still wanted a clear answer, and to try to get Twilight's attention, she expanded Twilight's wings and began flapping one of them.

"Something troubling you, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"No," replied Rainbow Dash, "is something troubling _you?_"

"This place..." Twilight said.

"What about it?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"It...it looks familiar." Twilight answered.

Robert overheard Twilight talking to Rainbow Dash and decided to input something of his own in response to Twilight's familiarity with this area.

"What do you know about this place, Twi?" Robert lucratively questioned, dragging Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's attention over to Twilight as well.

"What is this about Princess Twilight knowing something about this area?" Princess Luna demanded.

"Have you been here before?" Princess Celestia asked Twilight.

Twilight, who was still looking around, answered back solemly. "This place seems like home..."

"Home?" the other ponies spoke simultaneously.

"What do you mean, Twilight?" Princess Celestia added.

"This place," Twilight slowly replied, tailing off a bit towards the end, "I've been here before."

"How do you know?" Robert snickered.

Suddenly, without warning, some wolves in the nearby area began howling. This sudden howl frightened everyone, Rainbow Dash included, but Twilight. These howls were nothing new to her. In fact, they were some of the same howls she heard the first day she came back to "life."

"This is the same place I first was when I came back!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Great," Robert cowered, "fantastic. Now would you please be so kind as to _GET US OUT OF HERE!?_"

"Calm down, scaredy pony," Twilight teased.

"It's not that easy, you know," Robert complained, "after all, you are one of them in a way. You're used to this kind of thing. Us living ponies, on the other hand, are not used to that kind of thing. Right, Princesses?"

"Not in the slightest," Princess Celestia agreed.

Princess Luna replied with a simple nod of the head.

"Well then," continued Twilight, "if you're all so scared and want to leave now," she pointed one of her paws in the eastern direction, "Ponyville is right over in that direction."

"What about you?" Princess Celestia asked.

"I'll follow you, Princess," Twilight replied.

"It'd probably be better if you led, Twilight," Princess Luna suggested.

"Then I'll do just that," Twilight smiled, heading out towards the east, towards town.

The pursuit towards Canterlot had only begun and the mission was clear – take down Rarity, once and for all. The group of ponies, in accompany with Twilight the lycan and Rainbow Dash the ghost, were set to regain full control of Equestria and stop one of the greatest threats they had ever seen.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the balcony of the castle, Rarity and Sweetie Belle were overlooking the capital city for their new empire. Rarity admired it very much and had smiled brightly, finally seeing her dreams come true and with no one in their way to stop them.

"Look at it, Sweetie Belle...look at it..."Rarity said in awe.

"I still can't believe that it's all ours, Rarity."

"This is just a stepping stone, Sweetie Belle, Rarity." Vladimir advised.

"What do you mean, Vladdy?" asked Rarity.

"Why stop with just Equestria, Rarity?" Vladimir stated. "There's Saddle Arabia, Griffonstone, the Changeling Empire, and other places as well, just waiting for us to take over!"

"I hadn't really thought of that, Vladdy," Rarity smiled, "perhaps we should expand..."

"But we'll need an army of our own." Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"Hmm...you're right..." Rarity grimaced.

"Why not make one of our own?" Vladimir suggested. "We have that ability to do so, don't we?"

"By infecting other ponies alike," Rarity said, "we most certainly do."

"Good," Vladimir chuckled, "so I'll get a quick jump start to constructing our army of vamponies. How's that sound?"

"Sounds delicious..." Rarity replied, licking her lips. She had begun to fantasize about the amount of blood that would be at their disposal as a result of this idea. Vladimir excused himself and, along with M19, began to put the plan into effect.

Rarity had walked back out onto the balcony, rejoining her little sister in watching the sun set over the far horizon over their new territory. Sweetie Belle looked up at Rarity and started to have feelings of doubt and guilt cloud her mind. She began wondering if what they were doing was the right thing.

"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"Yes, Sweetie Belle?"

"Is this...right?"

"What do you mean?" Rarity questioned.

"I mean, is what we're doing the right thing?" Sweetie Belle asked, making direct eye contact with Rarity.

Rarity was fuming. "Why would you even say something like that!?"

"Look at what we're doing, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted in defense. "What have they ever done to us!? If at all, our rage should only be pointed towards Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Twilight! They were the ones plotting against us, not the innocent ponies down there!"

"How dare you speak to your sister like that, Sweetie Belle," Rarity scolded, "how dare you! This is what we've want-"

"What _you've _wanted!" Sweetie Belle cut off. "_I _didn't want this! _You _did!"

"Whatever," Rarity ignored, "go back inside. You don't know what you're saying, probably from the lack of air that's up here."

Sweetie Belle stormed off into the throne room, slamming the balcony door shut with her newly developed magic. She sat atop Princess Luna's throne, then slowly stepped off of it, knowing quite well that it wasn't hers. Sweetie Belle was torn between two things this very moment.

_What do I do?_ She thought. _I want the old Rarity back, but...this isn't right..._

Suddenly, without warning, Vladimir bursted back through the throne room doors. He appeared to have been struck by something, though what it was was inconclusive, seeing how the throne room doors slammed shut behind Vladimir as he was thrown into the room. Rarity heard the blast, as did Sweetie Belle, as they both went to help aid Vladimir.

"What's wrong, Vladdy?" Rarity asked.

"What's going on?" Sweetie Belle added.

"They're here!" Vladimir gasped, collapsing on the ground below him and shutting his eyes.

"Who's here?" Rarity snapped, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "Tell me, who did this to you!?"

"...Them..." Vladimir whispered, letting out a long sigh.

Rarity collapsed onto Vladimir's body. She knew what had happened to Vladimir.

He had died.

Rarity grew even more angrier and stared at the doors to the throne room.

"You shall pay for this!" She cried out in a demonic tone.

* * *

"Serves him right!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"I hate to admit it," Princess Luna added, "but he did."

"Now all that's left is Rarity!" Twilight screamed.

The group of determined friends were standing just outside of the Canterlot throne room. Thanks to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, they had teleported from the dungeons beneath Canterlot to the entrance to the Canterlot Castle. It was a bit hard teleporting four ponies at once – rather, three ponies and one mythological being – but the job was done, and just in the nick of time as well. The group found themselves teleporting in front of Vladimir, whom at the time, was trying to convert somebody else into becoming a vampony. Startled, Vladimir sprinted back inside the castle to warn Rarity and Sweetie Belle, but was closely chased by Twilight and Robert, ultimately being struck down just outside of the throne room. Twilight turned around and used her hind paws to burst through the throne room doors where, in the middle of the room, Rarity and Sweetie Belle were waiting for them.

"So, Twilight," Rarity menacingly spoke, "we meet once more."

"Enough talk, Rarity," Twilight shouted in reply, "your reign of terror ends here!"

"Then I gather that was you earlier who killed Vladimir," Rarity accused, "wasn't it?"

"If that is what you want to believe," Twilight said, "so be it, but this is where you will fall!"

"Don't be so silly, Twilight," Rarity chuckled, grabbing a hold of the lycan with her magic and bringing her closer, "we both know that I'm the more powerful one of us both."

"Magic is a mysterious thing, Rarity," Twilight smiled, not frightened at all by being completely immobilized, "there's more to magic than just brute strength, you know."

"Oh, quite the contrary," Rarity laughed, "for it is within the brute strength that brings out the most elegant of magic styles!"

"Is it?" Twilight immediately responded. "Is it really?"

"Of course it is, Twilight!" Rarity spoke. "Why, if it wasn't for brute strength, you wouldn't be sitting right here in front of me, now would you?"

"I suppose not, Rarity," Twilight smirked, "but you have a lot more to learn about magic."

"Is that so?" Rarity scoffed.

"Very much," Twilight replied, "allow me to demonstrate." Upon completion, she began to glow.

"What are you doing?" Rarity heeded.

"Something that is sure to scar you for the remainder of your life!" Twilight screamed.

In accompany with Rainbow Dash flapping her wings, Twilight sent out beams of magic from her horn all around her, creating some sort of force field of protection, canceling out Rarity's evil vampony magic. Sweetie Belle had seen this, but was too indecisive as to who the actual enemy was. Robert, in the meantime, was tending to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both of which were very exhausted after teleporting Twilight and Robert, along with themselves, here to Canterlot, leaving just Twilight alone with Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

Rarity had noticed her sister idly standing by and requested that she helped immediately.

"Can't you see that I can't handle Twilight on my own!?" Rarity screamed.

_Who do I help? _Sweetie Belle conflicted in her head. _Who's the real enemy?_

"Help me, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity shouted.

Sweetie Belle rapidly glanced between Twilight and Rarity, still unsure as to who she should help.

A quick and unfortunate misstep made by Twilight opened up a window of opportunity for Rarity, whom gladly took it and attacked Twilight. Twilight was tackled by Rarity and pinned down to the floor, struggling desperately to get up. Rainbow Dash tried flapping the wings, but trying to take off from the ground while upside down was a challenging task for any Pegasus pony, or any creature that could fly.

Twilight tried pointing her magic towards Rarity to try and blast her away and allow herself to stand back up, but Rarity was positioned perfectly in an area where Twilight's magic was unable to reach. Rarity had begun laughing, storing up some powerful magic in her horn, magic that was being aimed at Twilight and Rainbow Dash!

"This is fantastic!" Rarity maniacally laughed while storing her magic. "I've beaten you not once, but _twice_! Once as a vampony and now as a lycan, and still you aren't victorious! Talk about being weak!"

Twilight began frantically trying to break free from Rarity's grasp, but was overpowered heavily. Rarity was simply too strong for Twilight to break free from. She tightly shut her eyes, bracing for the worst.

"Let her go, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted, plowing right through her older sister, sending the magic that was stored in her horn flying across the room, destroying a bit of the stone wall.

Rarity shot a mean look at her younger sister, sending a powerful beam of magic over towards her, striking her down.

"How DARE you!" Rarity screamed.

Twilight watched in horror as she witnessed Rarity strike down Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle was blasted to the other side of the throne room, not moving a single inch. She felt a tear begin to shed from her eye and quickly wiped it away.

_Do this for Sweetie Belle,_ Rainbow Dash internally told Twilight.

_We'll do it for her._ Twilight replied. She looked at Rarity. "How dare you do that! And to your own _sister_ no less! What in Equestria is wrong with you, Rarity!?"

"This is none of your business, Sparkle!" Rarity shouted, nearing her downed sister.

"Get away from her!" Twilight screamed, slamming into Rarity's side and striking her down with brute strength.

"You'll pay for that, Sparkle!" Rarity claimed.

Suddenly, the throne room doors swung open and Robert charged into the room. Rarity had pinned down Twilight once more and had tried driving her horn through Twilight's body, but was shot at by Robert and his magic. Rarity glanced over at Robert and slowly let down her guard, though Robert failed to do the same.

"R-Robert?" Rarity calmly said. "Is that you?"

"Now's your chance, Twilight!" Robert shouted. "Go!"

"Robert," Rarity continued, ignoring what Robert had just shouted to Twilight, "why are you here?"

"To see you fall." Robert said, watching Twilight crash into Rarity once more.

This crash between Twilight and Rarity was a bit different than the earlier ones. With this collision, Rarity's skin and coat were penetrated by Twilight's horn, after having been positioned perfectly prior to the rush. With a hole now in her side, Rarity began coughing up an excess amount of blood and had begun losing a large amount of blood once Twilight removed her horn from Rarity.

"B-B-But...why?" Rarity coughed, collapsing to the ground from blood loss.

Heavily hearted, Robert approached Rarity on the ground and towered over her. He wiped a tear from his eye, then spoke out to her.

"It had to be this way," Robert softly spoke, brushing Rarity's mane with his emerald hoof.

Robert, who was previously shedding little emotions, was now shedding even more tears as he began storing some magic in his horn. He was stocking up on power, ready to drive it straight into Rarity's collapsed body. Twilight, on the other hand, got up to go check on Sweetie Belle, knowing quite well that the fight between her and Rarity was complete.

"P-Please...don't h-hurt me, Ro-Robert," Rarity quivered, "I-I'm sorry..."

"It's too late for sorry, Rarity," Robert spoke through his tears, turning around to go join Twilight, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, "I'd rather watch you slowly lose everything than end your life right here and now."

"Robert..." Rarity cried, her tears mixing with the pool of blood that lay around her.

"How's she doing?" Robert asked, wiping his eyes from the tears and approaching Twilight and Sweetie Belle.

"It doesn't look too good, Robert." Twilight claimed.

"This won't be much," Princess Celestia added, "but it's the best I can provide."

Princess Celestia then touched her horn with Sweetie Belle's body. Her horn had started glowing a magnificent silver colored aura – a color the nobody has really seen before – as it was in contact with Sweetie Belle.

"We need to bring her to the nearest hospital." Robert suggested. "She needs immediate attention!"

"We'll take her to the medical center we have here in the castle!" Princess Luna stated. "She'll receive the best care in all of Equestria there."

"Do so!" Robert said.

Sweetie Belle was then being carried carefully by Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Twilight as they started making their way towards the medical center. Twilight noticed that Robert wasn't following and asked him if he was coming.

"I'll come," Robert replied, "just give me a sec."

"Okay." Twilight answered, exiting the throne room.

Robert glanced over towards Rarity and approached her.

"Wh-why, Robert?" Rarity asked.

"It had to be like this." Robert boldly stated, slowly backing away from Rarity.

It was done. It was all over. Rarity's downfall and Robert's remorse. Everything had been completed.

* * *

"How is she, Doctor?" Twilight panicked.

"A little more rest and she'll be just fine." the doctor replied before leaving the room.

"Thank you." Twilight said, feeling totally relieved.

"Look," Princess Celestia said.

"She's waking up." added Princess Luna.

Sweetie Belle was currently in one of the medical center's beds, wires attached to her all over the place. She coughed a bit, then grunted as she was slowly waking up. When her vision became clear, she noticed that she was surrounded by Twilight, Lunar, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Robert.

"How are you feeling, Sweetie Belle?" Robert whispered.

"Better..." Sweetie Belle quietly replied. She coughed for a quick second before picking up where she left off. "Why did you...help me?"

"We couldn't let Rarity treat you like that any longer." Princess Celestia claimed.

"You...you all saved me." Sweetie Belle smiled.

"It was actually you who saved us, Sweetie Belle," Twilight replied.

"What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle coughed.

"If you hadn't knocked Rarity off of me," Twilight continued, "I wouldn't be standing here right now."

"I rushed here from the Crystal Empire to thank you personally, Sweetie Belle," Lunar said, "if you hadn't done that..." He trailed off, opting not to think about what could have happened.

"Not only did you save Twilight here," Princess Celestia spoke, picking up where Lunar left off, "but you saved all of Equestria by performing that act of bravery. We should be thanking you, Sweetie Belle."

"What happened to Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Robert started shedding a tear from his eye and was slowly comforted by Princess Luna. Princess Celestia and Twilight simply exchanged uncomfortable looks. Twilight sighed thereafter, then began telling Sweetie Belle what had happened.

"She's...gone, Sweetie Belle." Twilight ruefully spoke. She hated saying that, but it had to be said. She was wrapped by Lunar's wing, looking for the unspoken support he always gave.

"Gone?" Sweetie Belle repeated.

Twilight nodded in response. Sweetie Belle looked straight at the ceiling of the room and slowly smiled.

"She sure got what was coming to her." Sweetie Belle said, eyes beginning to shed some tears of her own.

"Aren't you sad, Sweetie Belle?" Princess Celestia asked. "After all, you just lost your sister for the second time..."

"The first time," Sweetie Belle continued, "I didn't understand why I lost her. Now, after seeing the way she acted myself, I understand why I had to lose her a second time."

"What are you going to do now, Sweetie Belle?" Lunar asked.

Sweetie Belle sighed, looking directly at Twilight and Lunar. "Somepony has to run the boutique, but that somepony is not me. I'll never be as good of a fashion designer as Rarity was, that's for sure."

"What are you going to do?" Princess Celestia asked.

"I'll search for my destiny on my own, I suppose," Sweetie Belle replied, "after all, I am still a blank flank. Who knows? Maybe I will be a fashion designer one day...but for now, I don't know what I'll do."

"Well," continued Twilight, "you are always welcome to stay with Spike, Rainbow, Lunar, and myself, Sweetie Belle."

"Thank you for the kind hospitality, Twilight." Sweetie Belle condoled, slowly drifting off back to sleep thereafter.

"Come, everypony," Princess Celestia smiled, "let her get her rest."

With that, everyone slowly exited the room, allowing Sweetie Belle to get some much needed sleep. Things were going to change around Equestria, and an Element bearer was soon to be one of them.

* * *

A month had passed since the events in Canterlot occurred. In that time, Sweetie Belle had fully recovered and Rarity was given a proper funeral in Canterlot, once more. She was remembered not as a savage or a rampaging vampony, but rather as an Element holder and one of the protectors of Equestria.

At the current moment, Sweetie Belle was playing with Applebloom and Scootaloo, something she hasn't done in a long, long time. The three were crusading around Ponyville, still trying to find their cutie marks and their destinies in life.

"How are you holding up, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked.

"Pretty good, Scootaloo," answered Sweetie Belle.

"Do ya miss bein' with Rarity?" Applebloom questioned.

"A whole lot, Applebloom," Sweetie Belle replied, "but I know that she's looking down on me, smiling, knowing that her younger sister is so very happy with her life and what she is doing this very day."

"I'm sure she is, Sweetie Belle," the two other crusaders simultaneously spoke, "I'm sure she is."

* * *

"Is she really gone?"

"No, vamponies don't die. She may be buried right now, but she'll come back. As long as Sweetie Belle is still alive, she'll come back."

"Will she act the same as before?"

"She is unable to handle the true power of being a vampony, but her rage will force her to take revenge upon the society that has shunned her."

"She didn't act like that when I approached her back in the throne room on that day. She stopped right in her tracks."

"Perhaps you're the key between her sanity and insanity, Robert."

"For the sake of Rarity and for the protection of Equestria, I'll do my best to keep her rage under control when she comes back."

"Spoken like a true stallion, Robert."

"Thank you, Twilight."

"You're welcome, Robert."

**-END-**


End file.
